Two WI GOP State Senators Proposing Bill To Block Municipal ID's

Anti-immigrant GOP state senators want to block Milwaukee County and the City of Milwaukee from issuing municipal ID's to local residents.

By H. Nelson Goodson

Hispanic News Network U.S.A.

January 2, 2016

Madison, WI - GOP State Senators Van Wanggaard and Joe Sanfelippo are proposing a bill to block Milwaukee County and the City of Milwaukee from issuing municipal ID's to undocumented immigrants and Wisconsin homeless citizens. Both Wanggaard and Sanfelippo have until Tuesday to get other anti-immigrant Republican Senators to co-sponsor the bill.

The proposed municipal ID block bill is on its initial process to get co-sponsors, but both anti-immigrant senators argue that the municipal ID's could be used to vote and get public aid. The Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors and the Milwaukee Common Council including both Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett approved the local municipal  ID measure in their budgets for 2016.

The municipal ID's would only identify undocumented immigrants for discounts at County parks including events and would help homeless citizens to be identified who would otherwise be unable to get state issued ID's for identification purposes. The municipal ID's would not be valid for voting, only a state issued ID or license will be valid when voting.