Sunday, March 20, 2011

Voces de la Frontera Taking Action To Stop Pridemore's Immigration Enforcement Bill In Wisconsin

Photo by HNG

Wisconsin Hispanic population in the state grew by 74%, 336,056, an increase of 143,135 from 2000. Hispanics now account for 5.9 percent of Wisconsin's total population and Hispanic owned businesses contribute more than $800 million in annual sales.

By H. Nelson Goodson
March 20, 2011

Milwaukee - On Sunday, hundreds of Latinos and non-Latinos gathered at St. Adalbert's Catholic basement to organize and plan for a major challenge to State Representative Donald Pridemore's (R-Hartford) proposed immigration bill. Pridemore began circulating the bill in early March.
The bill is expected to be introduced within two weeks in a legislative committee. The Milwaukee worker rights based organization Voces de la Frontera is taking the lead to challenge Pridemore's bill.
In a democratic vote by raising hands, those attending the gathering agreed that Voces would take the lead in helping to represent workers who are threaten with reprisals by employers, if they take off a day from work to march. Voces de la Frontera executive, Christine Neumann-Ortiz and Voces Action an umbrella to the non-profit organization plan to get support from state legislators to block Pridemore's immigration bill. The Voces plan includes a general boycott and a massive demonstration, including a march in Madison once a 24 hour notice by a state committee announces it has accepted Pridemore's immigration bill for discussion.
Ortiz and other meeting organizers recommended that people should begin to withdraw their money and to close their M&I Bank accounts as soon as possible. M&I executives and employees contributed to Governor Scott Walker's (R) election campaign and supported union busting. Walker has vowed to sign a similar Arizona immigration enforcement bill, if passed by the Republican controlled legislature.
People from the South side where the predominately Hispanic comunity resides attended the strategic planning meeting.  Also people from Menomonee, Waukesha, City of Greenfield, Racine, Kenosha, Lake Geneva and other areas.
Voces plans to organize a massive demonstration at the Capitol within 24 hours Pridemore's bill is introduced to create public awareness and a movement to block it from getting enacted. A legal challenge by attorneys is eminent, if the bill is viewed discriminatory and leads to racial profiling, according organizers.
State Representative JoCasta Zamarripa (D-Milwaukee) and Chris Abele, a candidate for Milwaukee County Executive were present at the gathering and spoke in favor of supporting the community in challenging any anti-immigrant bill that would lead to racial profiling and discrimination.
Voces de la Frontera will meet again next Sunday at 5:00 p.m. at St. Adalbert's Catholic Church basement with members of the community for an update.

Hispanic population growth vital to economic growth in Wisconsin.

The U.S. Census Bureau reported in March 2010, that the Wisconsin Hispanic population in the state grew by 74%, 336,056, an increase of 143,135 from 2000. Hispanics now account for 5.9 percent of Wisconsin's total population.
The Hispanic population in Milwaukee County rose by 126,039 and the Dane County Hispanic population grew by 28,925.
The City of Milwaukee saw a increase of 40%, 103,107 in Hispanic population, and saw a loss of 6%, from 605,013 to 594,833 of population now residing in the city, according to the 2010 census. Compared to a census report in 2009, that the Hispanic population rose about 48%, 285,827 or 5.1% of the population in the state. Milwaukee County saw an increase of 39%, 114,238 or 12% of the population, Racine County saw a 35% increase, 20,262 in population. Waukesha saw a 42% increase of 13,458 in population. Ozaukee County saw a 58 % increase of 1,669 in population and in Washington County a 76% increase with 2,693 in population.
A city economic study reported that the South side households in the predominately Latino community located inside Postal Zip Code 53204 in Milwaukee spend more than $91 million annually in retail goods according to the 2006 Department of City Development statistics. In one day, they spent approximately $249,315.06. The biggest tax-generating base for the city comes solely from the South side.
In Milwaukee, over 850 Hispanic owned businesses generate more than $225 million in annual sales. It is abundantly clear that the immigration of Hispanics and undocumented immigrants to Southeastern Wisconsin is tied to a large degree to the available resources that Hispanics have in the area.
In Wisconsin, over 3,000 Hispanic owned businesses generate more than $800 million in annual sales, creation of jobs and available employment resulting in population growth as well as business growth.
U.S. Census officials reported, that 50.5 million Hispanics were counted in 2010, 16.3% of total U.S. population and a 43% growth since 2000.

In other news: Last Thursday, the Arizona Senate defeated the U.S. Citizenship measure that would strip automatic citizenship from children born in the state by undocumented parents. The Senate also defeated four other anti-immigrant measures dealing with public services, identifying undocumented students in public schools, raisng university tuition for students not legally in the U.S., driving violations and health care.
The Arizona Chamber of Commerce along with other business leaders urged legislators to vote against the bills because it would contribute to the ailing economy. Republicans joined Democrats to defeat the bills.

Copy of Pridemore's Wisconsin illegal immigration bill (PDF) at link: http://bit.ly/eyjCGo

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