Banning ‘sanctuary cities’ not a Senate priority following rally

(Cara Lombardo/Madison Commons)

Thousands of immigrant families and their supporters skipped work and class last Thursday to show Wisconsin a day without them and protest legislation they deemed “anti-immigrant.” An estimated 20,000 people attended “Día sin Latinos e inmigrantes” or “Day without Latinos and immigrants” on the Capitol Square.

The rally was in protest of a bill passed by the Assembly that bans “sanctuary city” policies that protect immigrants from interrogation in cities in Madison, Milwaukee and Racine. The bill was headed for the Senate but the next day, a spokeswoman for Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel the bill was “not a high priority” for the Senate this session.

(Cara Lombardo/Madison Commons)

If the Senate does vote on it, it would change the way law enforcement officials interact with immigrants in a handful of cities across the state by banning local policies that prohibit employees from asking about the immigration status of individuals who have been charged with a crime or assisting federal immigration officers.

Backers argued it was necessary to make local law consistent with federal immigration laws and protect the public from criminals like Francisco Sanchez, an undocumented immigrant who shot and killed a 32-year-old woman in San Francisco over the summer.

Immigrant rights groups voiced concerns it would jeopardize public safety if people are reluctant to contact law enforcement or emergency services. They also argued enacting the law could negatively impact Wisconsin dairy farms, many of which employ large numbers of Latino immigrants.

(Cara Lombardo/Madison Commons)

Voces de la Frontera, an immigrants rights group based in Milwaukee, was the major force behind the rally and other demonstrations in opposition of the bill.

Cerxio, 18, is a high school student who skipped school to attend the rally with his friends, Michael, 18 and Estiven, 17. All of their parents are immigrants and were also at the rally.

“I know families thinking about moving out of the state because of this,” Cerxio said. Opponents voiced concern that all immigrants, whether documented or not, would be hurt by a law that could encourage profiling and separate families.

“They blamed one person,” Estiven said, referring to Sanchez. “I don’t think that’s a really good representation of us. Because they were Latino it made it worse, and that’s an excuse they can use. If it was a white person, nothing would have happened.”

Michael, who used to be undocumented but is now a legal resident, said he felt compelled to show support for others. “I still understand what it’s like, living as an immigrant, the fear of being deported, the fear of coming back home and your parents aren’t home, or they get pulled over for a ticket and something major happens.”