State Representative Don Pridemore (R-Hartford) has introduced a bill requiring local law enforcement officers to act when an individual is suspected of a crime and fails to provide identification. Representative Pridemore began working on this bill in August of 2010. The bill has gone through four revisions. The primary focus of the revisions was to eliminate any and all forms of racial profiling while protecting the integrity of U.S. citizenship.
The bill will also prevent local governments in Wisconsin from providing sanctuary to illegal immigrants and prevent the opportunity for illegal immigrants to obtain taxpayer funded benefits for which they are not entitled.
“This is an action that should have begun long ago when the federal government and the current administration stopped efforts to secure our borders. Now that the illegal drug trade and human trafficking have put the lives and property of those along our borders in peril, we must do all we can to dissuade the criminal element from looking at Wisconsin as a safe haven,” Pridemore said. “The ‘status quo’ is unacceptable in terms of the costs of law enforcement, crime, taxes, and social benefits, along with a host of other social problems tied to the issue. To simply do nothing would sentence another generation of families to a life of hiding in car trunks, continuously looking over their shoulder and continuing to be slaves of their work environment,” Pridemore continued.
“However,” Pridemore added, “we will take strong measures to ensure that the bill does not promote racial profiling.” Under the new bill, a law enforcement officer may not consider a person’s race, color, or national origin when conducting an investigation. Nor will local law enforcement be allowed to determine a person’s immigration status. Reasonable suspicion of breaking this law can only begin after the 48 hour period of not providing identification has passed.
An individual who has first broken the law, and then fails to prove his or her lawful presence in the U.S., may be held for up to 48 hours. During that time the person will be allowed to obtain appropriate documentation. If the person cannot produce the required documents, the matter will be referred to federal immigration services.
