TAA Resolution to Oppose the Pridemore Bill and attacks on immigrant rights in Wisconsin

Whereas, State Representative Pridemore has stated his intent to introduce an anti-immigrant bill in Wisconsin that, following the lead of Arizona’s SB1070, would legalize racial profiling by requiring law enforcement to question individuals they have “reasonable suspicion” of being undocumented about their immigration status when in the process of carrying out routine policing duties; and

Whereas this bill would violate the basic right of all people to live free of harassment and discrimination; and

Whereas the TAA recognizes that these attacks on immigrants and their families, like attacks on collective bargaining, cuts to education, and cuts to social services, are part of a broad right-wing agenda to disenfranchise working people, and further concentrate wealth in the hands of the super rich; and

Whereas, this bill would violate the United States Constitution’s Fourteenth Amendment rights of people of color to Equal Protection under the law, by encouraging broad powers to racially profile and harass individuals based on the color of their skin; and

Whereas, this law would undermine common sense community policing policies that encourage all individuals, irrespective of immigration status to report crimes and participate in investigations as witnesses or victims of crimes;

Whereas, labor and community leaders must act decisively to ensure that Wisconsin continues to be a state in which all people have equal protection under the law; and

Whereas, these attacks on the civil and human rights of migrant workers and their families – in practice compromising the rights of all people of color in Wisconsin – have drawn strong opposition from national leadership of the AFL-CIO, Service Employees International Union, United Food and Commercial Workers; Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, among many others; and

Whereas, we are at an historic turning point in building alliances against Governor Walker’s assault on working families, and are committed to remaining in solidarity with our brothers and sisters;

Therefore be it Resolved, that the Teaching Assistants’ Association (AFT Local 3220) denounces the racist, anti-immigrant Pridemore Bill.

Further, we fully support the May 1 marches in Milwaukee and Madison, and demand an end to the scapegoating of immigrant workers, the poor, and public employees as a means to distract anger and attention from policies that concentrate wealth for the very rich and large corporations at the expense of Wisconsin’s working families and individuals.