Wisconsin's governor responds to his opponent's immigration plan. Governor Jim Doyle says it's already against Wisconsin law for illegal immigrants to get state benefits. “I believe, obviously, that someone who's here illegally should not be getting any kind of state benefits. That's the law of the state of Wisconsin. That's the law that we're gonna continue to make sure that we enforce in the state.”
Republican gubernatorial candidate Mark Green accuses Doyle of wanting to give tax breaks to the illegals, like instate tuition and subsidized home loans. Green also says companies should be held responsible for checking the immigration status of employees. “It's gotta go both ways. If we're going to create barriers to illegal immigration, then we need to enforce our rules both with respect to those who come here illegally and those who encourage and take advantage of those who come illegally. We should be a nation of laws and it should go both ways.”
Doyle agrees, but he says it's more of a federal issue than a state issue. “I will say I guess I'm a little concerned about whether you're going to add huge levels of state bureaucracy on top of huge levels of federal bureaucracy to try to deal with this. This is a federal issue and I will be very supportive of what the federal government does to try to make sure that companies are not hiring people who are here illegally.”
Doyle says it's amazing to have watched Green “fail so miserably” on the immigration issue in Congress, yet come and tell people in Wisconsin about his immigration reform plan for our state. Even though it is a federal issue, Doyle believes Wisconsin has a role to play in trying to secure the border.
Related web sites:
Doyle for Governor
Green for Governor