Thread: WI- Lic. panel delays action on citizenship,legal status

Milwaukee County
Licensing panel delays action on citizenship, legal status proposal
By Georgia Pabst

Posted: Sept. 29, 2009

After protests from Latino advocacy groups, the Milwaukee Common Council's Licenses Committee voted Tuesday morning to put on hold a proposed ordinance that would require all applicants seeking a new or renewed professional or commercial license or permit to show proof of citizenship or legal status to work.

Ald. Tony Zielinski asked for the measure to be placed on hold to give various community groups and constituents more time to review the proposal and comment on it.

Milwaukee would be the first city in the state to enact such an ordinance, according to City Clerk Ron Leonhardt. He proposed the ordinance after receiving a city attorney opinion that the city should enact such a law to comply with federal law. He said notices were sent out to various community and business groups about the proposal on Sept. 10.

Christine Neumann-Ortiz, executive director of Voces de la Frontera, an immigrant worker rights group, said her organization, which has led thousands in marches for immigration reform, did not learn of the proposal until Monday night.

"This is very disturbing," she said. Such an ordinance would reduce the tax base and increase poverty, she said.

"What will the city get in return?" she asked.

She also questioned the requirement that the city enact such an ordinance.

Tony Baez, president and CEO of the Council for the Spanish Speaking, said he did not receive a notice about the proposal until Monday and it didn't specify a time when a hearing would be held.

"Those of us who could contribute to the discussion were unaware and there is substantial discussion about immigration at the federal level," he said.

He also questioned the city attorney's opinion, which cited an opinion from Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen about the U.S. Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act that was enacted in 1996.

"Why wait so long?" Baez asked, noting that Van Hollen's opinion was issued in October 2007 and open to interpretation.

Darryl Morin, the state director of the League of United Latin American Citizens, who was at the hearing, said after the meeting that he was very concerned with the proposed ordinance. He said he was talking with officials of the U.S. Department of Justice and the White House to seek guidance.

Ald. James Bohl, chairman of the committee, said the city is obligated to uphold federal law.

The city's Public Safety Committee was scheduled to take up the proposed ordinance Thursday, but that issue has been postponed as well.

http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/62593737.html

After protests from Latino advocacy groups, the Milwaukee Common Council's Licenses Committee voted Tuesday morning to put on hold a proposed ordinance that would require all applicants seeking a new or renewed professional or commercial license or permit to show proof of citizenship or legal status to work.

This just makes my blood boil! Who's Country is this? Who put these people in to office? It sure as heck wasn't illegals!

Cowards.

Originally Posted by nomas

After protests from Latino advocacy groups, the Milwaukee Common Council's Licenses Committee voted Tuesday morning to put on hold a proposed ordinance that would require all applicants seeking a new or renewed professional or commercial license or permit to show proof of citizenship or legal status to work.

This just makes my blood boil! Who's Country is this? Who put these people in to office? It sure as heck wasn't illegals!

I'm afraid that last bit could be wrong.

"What will the city get in return?" she asked.

Maybe knowing that the businesses run by legals and citizens don't have competition from illegal-run businesses. Would help me sleep better at night. As far as erosion of the tax-base, Ms Ortiz, that is a blatant admission to there are plenty of illegal businesses already.
Voces de la Frontera? Doesn't that mean Voices of the Frontier? Americans do not have any frontier these days. Aztlan illegals do--conquering the United States of America and turning it into a third-world country where they get to rule and everyone speaks Spanish. The sad part is that we are letting them get away with it.