Republicans in Wisconsin reintroduced a law that was defeated last year by a popular uprising called the #DayWithoutLatinos. The legislation would deputize public employees, local police, and sheriffs to act as immigration agents:
This hateful legislation is a retread of what our community defeated last year. This bill aims to turn local government employees and law enforcement into an arm of Trump’s campaign of terror against immigrant families. Local police chiefs across the country are opposed to legislation like this because it will make community members afraid to report crimes, making all less safe. This legislation hurts the economy by targeting workers that key industries like dairy and manufacturing depend on. As we have shown repeatedly, immigrant workers and business owners are committed to striking and shutting down key industries that depend on their labor in defense of their families. On May 1st, Voces de la Frontera is calling for a national general strike to demand Republicans halt this wave of anti-immigrant discrimination and racism. Legislators should be focused on passing legislation to protect healthcare, fund schools, and create jobs, but instead they are scapegoating immigrant workers for the failures of their own pro-1% policies. We defeated this bill last year and we will fight all out to defeat it again.
– Christine Neumann-Ortiz – Voces de la Frontera
It is the job of local law enforcement to protect and serve people in their jurisdictions, not to betray them. The bill reintroduced by the Wisconsin GOP continues to criminalize the vulnerable through requiring local police to do the job of federal immigration enforcement. This is wrong on every level!
Migration is beautiful! We should be working to keep families together, not tearing them apart!