Thread: WI-U.S. citizenship may be required to do business in city

U.S. citizenship may be required to do business in city
By Georgia Pabst of the Journal Sentinel

Posted: Sept. 25, 2009

Those who want to do business in Milwaukee may first have to prove that they are U.S. citizens, under a proposal that will have a hearing next week.

According to the proposed ordinance, all applicants for a new or renewed professional or commercial license or permit to do business in the city of Milwaukee would be required to show proof of U.S. citizenship or documentation of their legal status and ability to work in this country.

The Common Council's licensing committee has scheduled a hearing on the measure for 8 a.m. Tuesday in Room 301B of City Hall.

The ordinance has been introduced to ensure compliance with the United States Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, which prohibits state and local governments from giving public benefits, including professional and commercial licenses and permits, to those who are not citizens or do not have legal status to work here, City Clerk Ron Leonhardt.

The new measure also would be in line with U.S. Department of Homeland Security requirements, he said.

If the ordinance passes, the city's license division will reject any new or renewal applications if the required documentation is not provided, he said.

An appeal process also is outlined in the measure if an applicant is rejected.

"The ordinance is an attempt to comply with federal laws, and it's not the intention to target any ethnic group," Leonhardt said. A variety of community-based organizations and others, such as the Wisconsin Restaurant Association and the taxi cab companies, were advised of the proposed ordinance, he said.

"With such a bad economy, this is not a time to try to put any more obstacles in the way of people, particularly the undocumented," said Tony Baez, president and CEO of the Council for the Spanish Speaking. "It's punitive. And it's also not the time when the country as a whole is trying to engage in comprehensive immigration reform," he added.

The proposed ordinance was drafted, Leonhardt said, after City Attorney Grant Langley advised that the federal law applies to the issuance of licenses and permits. Langley also received a communication from Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen, who suggested such a measure.

In October 2007, Van Hollen advised state Department of Regulation and Licensing Secretary Celia Jackson that the federal measures for citizenship verification applied to that department because it's prohibited from issuing professional licenses or credentials to illegal immigrants.

In a lengthy letter, Van Hollen wrote that " . . . although state law does not require DRL to verify the qualifications of an applicant for a professional license or credential, it does not prohibit DRL from verifying these qualifications."

"However, I recommend that DRL verify the immigration status of all applicants for state professional licenses and credentials to be certain that it is not issuing them in violation of federal law," he wrote.

As of Aug. 1, 2008, the Department of Regulation and Licensing requires those applying for a new or renewed license or permit to sign a "certification of legal status," which meets the "spirit of the requirement," said David Carlson, a spokesman for the department. He noted there are more than 350,000 license holders in the state.

In 2007, the City of Green Bay passed a controversial ordinance barring businesses that get city licenses, contracts or grants from hiring illegal immigrants.


http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/61599782.html

Horray!

"With such a bad economy, this is not a time to try to put any more obstacles in the way of people, particularly the undocumented," said Tony Baez, president and CEO of the Council for the Spanish Speaking. "It's punitive. And it's also not the time when the country as a whole is trying to engage in comprehensive immigration reform," he added.

Our BAD! Throwing a monkey wrench into the lives of the "UNDOCUMENTED" and ruin their plans to take the country over, just when they are doing so well milking American society for everything they can get.
Bet the ACLU will be in attendance.

Originally Posted by vortex

"With such a bad economy, this is not a time to try to put any more obstacles in the way of people, particularly the undocumented," said Tony Baez, president and CEO of the Council for the Spanish Speaking. "It's punitive. And it's also not the time when the country as a whole is trying to engage in comprehensive immigration reform," he added.

Our BAD! Throwing a monkey wrench into the lives of the "UNDOCUMENTED" and ruin their plans to take the country over, just when they are doing so well milking American society for everything they can get.
Bet the ACLU will be in attendance.

I was too slow to respond and you beat me to it. One word comes to mind: TOOL!

A lot more words than that come to mind, all of which are unpublishable.

Agreed. Bad economic times are precisely the reason we should be throwing up obstancles to employment of illegals. We need those jobs for American citizens and legal immigrants. I'd like to know where this clown gets the idea that the American public wants CIR.