Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Republicans Circulating Proposed HB 2011 Bill Requiring Police To Arrest Illegal Immigrants In Wisconsin

State Representative Donald Pridemore

Immigration bill contains a fiscal item, which will be stalled in the Senate, if introduced. 14 Senate Democrats are still in Illinois and the Senate lacks quorum to pass bills with fiscal items.

By H. Nelson Goodson
March 8, 2011

Madison - On Tuesday afternoon, Wisconsin State Representative Donald Pridemore (R-Hartford) began to circulate his proposed HB 2011 version of an immigration enforcement bill at the House chamber to get co-sponsors and support for it. The 6-page 2011 Bill contains a fiscal item and would have to be introduced and pass the House first, before it heads to the Senate. The bill would require law enforcement officers to ask for the legal status of people they come into contact and suspect are illegally in state.
Just after 4:10 p.m., Representative Pridemore began to circulate his version of the Arizona immigration enforcement bill for the state, according to Representative JoCasta Zamarripa (D-Milwaukee) on Twitter. Zamarripa twitted, "Rep. Pridemore is circulating a bill proposing an Arizona-like, anti-immigrant, anti-Latino law in Wisconsin! Contact your legislators now!"
Pridemore's HB 2011 bill will allow local law enforcement officers to detain suspects for 48 hours when they come into contact with them in minor or serious infractions of the law, if officers suspect they are in Wisconsin and in the country illegally. If illegal, then undocumented immigrants can be turned in to ICE, before a court proceeding or after being convicted of a crime and have served their prison sentence. The illegal immigrant will be require to reimburse any jail costs to counties for their detention.
The bill would prevent city, village, town and county governments from enacting policies to prevent employees from asking the legal status of those seeking services and benefits. Private citizens are allowed to file a legal challenge in court for noncompliance with a "writ of mandamus" against local governments who prevent their employees from asking the legal status of people receiving public services. Localities will be fined up to $500 a day for noncompliance.
Governor Scott Walker (R) has vowed to sign a similar Arizona immigration enforcement law, if passed by the state legislature.
U.S. Hispanics in Wisconsin, civil rights and immigration rights groups have also vowed to filed lawsuits against Walker and the state, if the law is deemed discriminatory and will lead to racial profiling by law enforcement officers.

Copy of Pridemore's Wisconsin illegal immigration bill (PDF) at link: http://bit.ly/eyjCGo

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