The head of Milwaukee-based Voces de la Frontera was among those in Las Vegas when President Obama announced his immigration reform proposal Tuesday. Christine Neumann-Ortiz says there was a lot of energy at the event. She adds the president showed “a lot of leadership” but she was hoping for more details on the president’s plan and how it stacks up with a bi-partisan Senate proposal released this week.
She says the path to citizenship in the senators’ plan would give priority to those who’ve already applied for a visa. Other illegal immigrants would be on a probationary period but could qualify if they can verify an official employment record. Neumann-Ortiz says this disregards the immigrants who’ve been working in the informal sector such as day laborers and domestic workers.
Wisconsin Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner, a long-time opponent of illegal immigration, chimes in on the Senate proposal. In a statement, the Republican lawmaker says, “Extending amnesty to those who came here illegally or overstayed their visas is dangerous waters. We are a nation of laws, and I will evaluate any proposal through that matrix.”