Thread: Immigration activists vow to fight for ID

Immigration activists vow to fight for ID cards after Wisconsin legislators pass bill banning them

http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/new...n-legislators/
Published March 06, 2016Fox News Latino

06, 2016Fox News Latino

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  WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 20: Supporters of immigration reform protest outside the U.S. Supreme Court November 20, 2015 in Washington, DC. The protesters demanded the implementation of U.S. President Barack Obama's immigration relief programs, including the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents and expanded Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, during the protest. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) (2015 Getty Images)
  

MILWAUKEE (AP) – Immigrants' rights supporters lost a key battle to get ID cards for people who are living in the U.S. illegally when the Wisconsin Legislature passed a bill to ban counties issuing such cards, but activists say they're not giving up the fight.
Led by Voces de la Frontera, advocates hope a sustained show of force -- which started with a major protest at the state Capitol last month -- will prompt Gov. Scott Walker to veto the measure. If that doesn't work, they say they're going to shift their focus to cities with significant Latino populations, such as Milwaukee and Madison.
Supporters say local ID cardholders would be able to open bank accounts, enter schools and accurately identify themselves to police, among other benefits. But opponents say the Republican-sponsored proposal will prevent fraud and confusion, because the cards are easy to fake and counties don't have the authority to issue such documentation.
"We already issue state ID," Sen. Van Wanggaard said, adding that a new form of identification "creates a problem of having credibility."
The issue highlights continued efforts to bring immigrant communities into the mainstream in Wisconsin and elsewhere around the nation, and the resistance of political leaders, such as Wanggaard, who say immigrants shouldn't be rewarded for entering the country illegally.
"Symbolically," said Jon Blazer, an immigration expert with of the American Civil Liberties Union's national office, "this is quite important to both sides. It speaks to the symbolism of who belongs."
The local ID programs started in the mid- to late 2000s and have gained traction in many places across the nation, Blazer said, but the broader push has picked up momentum since 2013, when eight states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico started allowing immigrants without legal status to obtain driver's licenses. New York City officials in 2014 started issuing IDNYC cards, calling it the largest municipal ID card program in the nation.
But the efforts have been met by backlash: A bill this year in Arizona's Senate challenged a Phoenix local ID plan but failed, and North Carolina lawmakers sharply limited local powers to issue ID cards last year.
A local-level effort led to finalized plans in Milwaukee for a jointly funded city-county card, which would have started going out this year if not for the legislation on Walker's desk, Voces executive director Christine Neumann-Ortiz said.
Eduardo Perera, a 41-year-old contractor who's lived in Milwaukee for years but was born in Mexico, said the identification would have made his life easier in countless ways. But aside from that, he said, "it's a moral thing.
"I've lived here 26 years. I've owned a house for 18 years. I should be able to prove that I'm here."
Perera and others say the cards would have helped everyone from victims of domestic violence, who can't obtain restraining orders without identification, to city residents who can't drop off recycling without ID.
But Republican legislators see it differently: "Trying to get ID for someone here illegally is a federal issue," Wanggaard said.
The local ID bill, which passed last month, and a "sanctuary city" bill pending before the state Senate that would require police to check the immigration status of criminal suspects, prompted more than 15,000 people to protest at the state Capitol in protest last month.
Walker hasn't indicated whether he plans to sign the ID legislation, but the Republican said recently that he doesn't expect the sanctuary city bill to advance and that he's "just fine with that."
Neumann-Ortiz said the local ID bill "at its heart is racist and anti-immigrant," and she noted that her group will call for more protests over the next few weeks. "If it passes there will be a political price to the Republican party."
Neumann-Ortiz also said her group is poised to take the local ID fight to the city of Milwaukee, which, along with other cities and villages, wouldn't be limited under the legislation. However, she acknowledges advocates will have to rally political will and seek funding for a new plan without Milwaukee County involvement.
Local ID cards, she said, show immigrants, many of whom have lived in the state for decades, that "you're part of the community. You're appreciated."

Lunch Break (3/8/16): Student group to call on CMS to support undocumented immigrants in schools

Posted By Ryan Pitkin on Tue, Mar 8, 2016 at 12:00 PM

A group called Students for Education Reform North Carolina is planning to address the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Board of Education at its meeting tonight, asking superintendent Ann Clark and board members to put their support behind undocumented students and their families in the CMS system. The group is specifically upset about the the detainment of Yefri Sorto-Hernandez, who was arrested by ICE agents while leaving his home to walk to the bus stop. ICE officials have said they do not carry out bus stop raids and they just happened to catch Sorto-Hernandez while he was near his bus stop. Last week, Creative Loafing reported on the targeting of Central American teens for deportation raids by ICE. (Ryan Pitkin)

Police are looking for a young girl who has been missing since February 29 and was last seen in the west Charlotte area. Investigators said 14-year-old Michaela Hutchinson was last seen on Dr. Carver Road near West Boulevard. She is 5 feet, 4 inches tall and weighs 125 pounds. (WSOC Staff)

Police are searching for multiple suspects who used a vehicle to smash their way into a jewelry store in Huntersville this morning to rob the place. The suspects smashed a van into the front of Fink's on Birkdale Commons Parkway at about 5 a.m. this morning. Police are checking surveillance video of the robbery and won't say what, if anything, was stolen. (WCNC Staff)

A woman was reportedly killed and her children injured in a three-car accident on Highway 150 in Lincoln County this morning. Police said a red truck crossed the center line, sideswiped another truck and then smashed into a van being driven by the victim. The driver of the red truck and the children in the van were transported to the hospital with minor injuries. (WBTV web Staff)

After a thorough investigation, the Monroe Police Department arrested a psychologist at a Union County middle school yesterday for allegedly assaulting a student last week. Investigators said police were called to Monroe Middle School just after noon last Thursday responding to a call that a staff member had assaulted a 14-year-old student. After an investigation, they issued a warrant for and arrested 53-year-old Dayle Kimball Rust for simple assault. (Fox46 Staff)

Lunch Break (3/8/16): Student group to call on CMS to support undocumented immigrants in schools | The CLog | Creative Loafing Charlotte