Photo credit: Voces de la Frontera
Some years ago, a mother of two called Voces de la Frontera’s office. Her husband had been driving to work when he was pulled over for driving without a license. Although she and her husband had lived in Wisconsin since the 1990s, he could not obtain a license because he was undocumented. Because of the lack of federal immigration reform, he could not receive a legal immigration status.
Her husband had been assigned a court date. When he arrived for court, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents were there. They took him to an ICE detention center. Within weeks, he was deported; his wife and two children remained here, devastated.
Until 2007, all Wisconsin residents could access driver licenses and state IDs by showing proof of identity, residency and passing a driving and vision exam. But in 2007, a law passed by the state legislature to comply with federal REAL ID legislation went into effect requiring residents to present a Social Security Number to obtain a license.
The legislature can change this. Governor Tony Evers has included provisions to restore access to driver licenses and state IDs regardless of immigration status as part of his 2019-’21 budget. On Wednesday, May 1, Voces de la Frontera will hold a Day Without Latinxs & Immigrants statewide rally at the Capitol in Madison to urge the legislature to restore driver licenses for immigrants.
According to the nonpartisan think tank Kids Forward, 32,000 Wisconsin residents would become eligible to obtain driver licenses, including 14,000 parents. Restoring driver licenses will also strengthen our economy. According to Michael Slattery, an economist and member of the Wisconsin Farmers Union, dairy workers produce more than 10% of Wisconsin’s GDP. The vast majority of these workers are undocumented.
Wisconsin’s dairy industry is in a crisis; 700 dairy farms here closed in 2018. This crisis has many factors, but Wisconsin has long suffered from a shortage of dairy workers. Under Donald Trump, immigrant workers are leaving places where they are more vulnerable to deportation and separation from their families. Restoring driver licenses will keep workers in Wisconsin, stabilizing the rural economy, and will provide broader economic benefits as well. Kids Forward estimates that Wisconsin drivers as a whole would pay $16 million less in car insurance premiums. More consumers will be able to travel to work or shop more safely, putting money back into local economies.
Many local law enforcement officials—like Green Bay Police Chief Andrew Smith—support restoring licenses. “People will be tested and know the rules of the road,” he says. According to studies, states that have restored driver licenses for immigrants have seen a decline in car accidents. Immigrant residents will be safer to come forward to report crimes, knowing that they have identification and are not at risk of being detained.
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While Voces de la Frontera has organized some of the largest marches in our state’s history, the Day Without Latinxs & Immigrants is a specific call to action for a statewide community strike as part of an escalated campaign. This means no work, no school and no buying to elevate the important contributions that Latinxs and immigrants make to our state as workers, small business owners, consumers and as a community.
It is fitting that this happen on May 1—an international day to honor workers. While it’s called a day without Latinxs and immigrants, it’s a day for all people—a day of solidarity in which to stand together against the politics of discrimination and division.
Visit vdlf.org/mayday2019 to reserve a seat on a bus, make a donation or to help organize. Together, we can restore driver licenses and strengthen our economy, improve public safety and keep families together.
Christine Neumann-Ortiz is the executive director of Voces de la Frontera.
