Pridemore Defends Controversial Immigration Bill

State. Rep. Don Pridemore (R-Hartford) said an immigration law he intends to introduce will avoid the constitutional pitfalls that have plagued similar legislation in Arizona.

“There is nothing in my bill that will promote racial profiling,” said Pridemore, whose district includes Menomonee Falls and Sussex. “We have included language in the bill that would prevent profiling.”

Critics of the bill call it a disastrous idea and say that all persons of color will “return to second-class citizenship” if the bill is adopted.

“It’s a copycat bill that mirrors what happened in Arizona,” said Joe Shansky, a spokesman for Voces de la Frontera, a Milwaukee immigrant rights group. “The language is so intentionally vague that it allows police to stop and question for minor offenses and then hold them for 48 hours. It will disproportionately affect people of color who are here lawfully.”

In 2007, Arizona adopted a controversial law that, among other things, required law enforcement officers to check a person’s immigration
status when stopped for minor offenses. The law spurred a national debate over immigration and a spate of lawsuits addressing various provisions of the law.

The Obama administration successfully brought a federal lawsuit asserting that the federal government has the exclusive right to regulate immigration.  Arizona wants that case to be fast-tracked to the U.S. Supreme Court. The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld another provision in the law, one that allows Arizona to punish businesses that hire illegal immigrants.

Pridemore said his bill will allow local law enforcement agencies to detain those arrested for other offenses if they are not able to prove citizenship. After 48 hours, they would be turned over to federal immigration or border patrol agents.

A part of Pridemore’s bill is aimed at punishing state communities that refuse to comply with the law.

“Madison has declared itself a ‘sanctuary city’ and said it would not turn over illegal immigrants to authorities,” Pridemore said. “If a private citizen were to sue, a sanctuary city could face penalties of $500 a day.”

Pridemore said he believes it is important for other states to follow Arizona’s lead. He said he also feared that Wisconsin could become a magnet for illegal immigrants trying to escape Arizona’s tough enforcement standards.

In part, Pridemore said he is introducing the law to encourage the federal government to address the issue.

"I’ve worked on this since August of last year,” he said. “The federal government isn’t doing enough. They stopped construction on the border fence. Something has to be done to get the federalgovernment off of the dime.”

Shansky said his organization has been expecting the bill since the November election of Gov. Scott Walker.

“He said he supported the law,” said Shansky. “We’ve had four meetings in the basement of St. Adalbert’s Church, and between 700 and 1,000 people have attended each meeting.”

Adoption of the law would be risky for taxpayers, Shansky said.

“Lawsuits demanding more than $250 million have been filed against Arizona already,” he said.

Pridemore said he has a half dozen Republicans ready to co-sponsor the bill. Democrats, he said, “want to make it a partisan issue.”

If and when the legislation is called to the floor for debate has not been decided. Andrew Welhouse, a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, said he is certain the legislature will have “a conversation” on the measure but there is no time schedule for its introduction.

“Right now we have other things that we are focused on,” Welhouse said. “That includes balancing the state budget, improving the economy and creating jobs.”

Pridemore said he doesn’t think the bill will come up before the Legislature breaks for the summer but added that he’s confident it will come up next fall.