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Wisconsin could consider immigration bill
In what he says is similar to a much-contested Arizona immigration law, Wisconsin State Representative Don Pridemore says he's drafting a bill to introduce here in January.
“There are people leaving Arizona looking to come to other states, and I don't want Wisconsin to be one of them. I also think it's important to look at other states go on the record to tell the federal government to enforce their own laws,” says Pridemore, a republican from Hartford, in southeastern Wisconsin.
Under Pridemore's proposal, people arrested or charged with a crime would have to prove they're legal by showing identification if police have reasonable suspicion that the person is here illegally.
People could be held up to 48 hours and turned over to immigration authorities if they can't prove they're here legally.
“Our bill goes after primarily the criminal element, and we don’t want to encourage the criminal element to be encouraged to come to Wisconsin, either,” says Pridemore.
Amy Young, an instructor in Latin American Studies at UW-Eau Claire, says this could infringe on everyone's rights.
“The whole issue of civil liberties effects us all, and it also creates a culture of fear with people that we need here to support our economy,” says Young.
Pridemore says there's language in the bill to prevent racial profiling.
“This bill does not in any way single out any racial community or religion, color, creed or anything like that. We have statements like that in the bill from keeping that from occurring,” says Pridemore.
Young says many immigrants work in the agriculture industry in Wisconsin, and if this bill were passed, many workers could move out of state, making it difficult for farmers.
“We should be focusing on job growth, and not something like this that could divide communities,” says Young.
Young says she feels there's a culture of fear with immigrants, but Pridemore says he's trying to stop crimes done by illegal aliens, and has support for his bill.
“I have nothing but positive responses from my colleagues on the republican side,” he says.
A local attorney who handles immigration cases says law enforcement officers already ask for identification during traffic stops, but this bill may increase the uniformity of checking immigration status and calling immigration officers on a more regular basis.
Most of the recently-elected local legislators in Western Wisconsin we spoke to say they have not read the bill yet. Some say they would support an immigration bill, but others say they'll have to wait and see the wording before supporting it.
Pridemore says he'll introduce the bill in January when the new session starts.
Source - http://www.weau.com/news/headlines/Wisconsin_could_consider_immigration_bill_107583103.html
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