Wausau Hosts Diverse Roundtable On Immigration Reform

A roundtable of business, religious and law enforcement leaders gathered in Wausau today to push for immigration reform.

The effort to influence Congress during the late summer recess was called “Bibles, Badges and Business for Immigration Reform.”

One of the business representatives was Tim O’Harrow, whose Wisconsin dairy farm was raided by immigration authorities six years ago. “Law enforcement descended on our farm like wild dogs, and treated one of our original employees like a dog, or less than. My anger was at such a high pitch.”

O’Harrow says he’s channeling that anger to convince fellow Republicans to support immigration reform. Ed Lump, the CEO of the Wisconsin Restaurant Association, also represented business interests on the panel.

“We certainly currently employ a lot of immigrants in our industry,” says Lump. “We’re a natural magnet for that. And it is very important to protect our industry, and protect our workforce, frankly.”

John Huebscher, executive director of the Wisconsin Catholic Conference, said treating immigrants fairly is at the heart of Christian doctrine. “It’s central to who we are. From the very beginning, Christians have been called to care and speak out for those at the margins of society.”

Another panelist, Marathon County Sheriff Scott Parks, spoke in favor of a national identification system. The Bibles, Badges and Business forum was attended by a representative of someone who could cast a vote on immigration: U.S. Rep. Sean Duffy, D-Wisc.