Immigration Rights Activists Rally In Madison For Path To Citizenship

On the second day of a statewide tour, immigration rights activists visited the state’s economic development office in Madison.

There, they expressed support the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program launched a year ago. Statistics from the Department of Homeland Security show that over the past year almost 4,000 young immigrants in Wisconsin have been approved for the program with about 1,000 applications still pending. Wisconsin ranks 20th in the nation in applications for the program.

Madison resident Bethany Ordaz is the Wisconsin field director for the campaign for immigration reform. She says it’s hard to predict how many other young people might be eligible for the program because many still fear they will be deported if they admit they’re not citizens.

“I was in Green Bay in a room with people who were … 18 to 24-ish, and several of them had not yet applied. It’s just scary for them,” says Ordaz.

Ordaz has been lobbying the Wisconsin Congressional delegation to sign on to legislation that would create a broad path to citizenship for such young people and their parents. She says the state’s four Democrats are on board, but Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wisc., is the only one of the six Wisconsin Republicans who is backing the plan.

University of Wisconsin-Madison economist Laura Dresser spoke at the rally. She said many Wisconsin farmers depend on immigrant labor, creating a strong economic incentive for immigration reform.

“If I said, what’s a pretty easy policy for increasing wages, reducing poverty, growing the economy, [and] growing the tax base, you’d get to say comprehensive immigration reform,” said Dresser. “And the sooner we do it, the better it is for the whole economy.”

Similar rallies are planned in 10 other Wisconsin cities next week.