Nonbinding Immigration Enforcement Referendum Submitted To The Walworth County Board By The Republican Party Of Walworth County

Members of the Republican Party of Walworth County submitted a nonbinding referendum with the Walworth County Board of Supervisors to approve for the April 2020 election to require state and local officials who take the oath of office to enforce federal immigration laws. 

By H. Nelson Goodson

Hispanic News Network U.S.A.

October 9, 2019

Walworth County, Wisconsin - On Tuesday, the Walworth County Clerk received a Memorandum dated October 4, 2019 from Christopher R. Goebel, the Chairman of the Republican Party of Walworth County (RPWC) that was sent to the Walworth County Board of Supervisors/Executive Committee for review and approval of a nonbinding referendum for the April 2020 election to require state and local officials who take the oath of office to enforce federal immigration laws. According to Goebel, the RPWC members unanimously approved the referendum and reads, "Under our Constitution system, the federal government is charged with establishing immigration requirements and laws that apply in all states and municipalities. Should Wisconsin's state and local officials who take the oath to uphold the Constitution and faithfully carry out the laws of the United States, Wisconsin and their locality, stand by their oath of office and uphold federal Immigration laws?"

The referendum submitted by the RPWC is nonbinding and could very well be unconstitutional, if passed since, the U.S. Congress is the sole legislative branch that can legislate federal laws and enforcement of immigration laws and not state governments.

The Wisconsin Republican controlled legislature has attempted to pass similar bills deemed anti-immigrant that would penalized local governments, municipalities and county sheriff's for not enforcing immigration laws and requiring immigration status from residents to receive certain public services as taxpayers. Undocumented immigrants in Wisconsin contributed more than $90M of combined taxes to the state and additional millions of dollars to the economy in the state.

In July 2019, State Senator Chris Larson (D), State Assembly Representative Jonathan Brostoff (D) and State Representative Marisabel Cabrera (D) who is the principal author of the proposed Sanctuary Bill announced that the Sanctuary Bill would prohibit or limit any collaboration between local law enforcement agencies including county sheriffs and ICE, and a second bill would prohibit private prisons in Wisconsin. According to one of the co-authors of the newly proposed Sanctuary Bill, it would also prohibit the Waukesha County Sheriff's Department Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which is the primary law enforcement agency and investigate arm for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The Waukesha County Sheriff's Department (WCSD) MOA with ICE expired in June 30 and the WCSD has renewed the MOA agreement with ICE, despite public outcry by Waukesha County residents against its renewal. The 287g allows trained county sheriff deputies or county sheriff's corrections staff to act like immigration enforcement agents when processing inmates.

To date, it is not clear how many Democrats in the state legislature have stepped up to support the Cabrera, Larson and Brostoff proposed Sanctuary Bill.