% MUCH FOR YOUR EXPERTISE.
% APPRECIATE IT.
% >> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.%
>> THE ANNUAL DAY OF IMMIGRANT
% WORKERS RIGHTS ON MAY 1st SAW
% DEMONSTRATIONS IN MADISON AND
% MILWAUKEE THIS WEEK.
% AMONG ITS GOALS, ADVOCATING FOR
% DRIVER'S LICENSES FOR
% IMMIGRANTS.
% MEANWHILE, THE REPUBLICAN LED
% BUDGET COMMITTEE THIS WEEK AXED
% 545 ITEMS FROM THE GOVERNOR'S
% PROPOSED BUDGET, INCLUDING
% DRIVER'S LICENSES FOR ALL.
% THERE'S AN ESTIMATED 5,000
% MIGRANT WORKERS ARRIVING IN
% WISCONSIN ANNUALLY TO WORK
% FARMING OR FOOD PROCESSING JOBS.
% FOR MORE, WE TURN TOP TONY
% GONZALEZ, DIRECTOR OF THE
% AMERICAN HISPANIC ASSOCIATION OF
% MARATHON COUNTY, AND THANK YOU
% FOR BEING WITH US.
% >> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME ON
% YOUR PROGRAM.
% >> SO WHY ARE DRIVER'S LICENSES
% SO IMPORTANT FOR THE IMMIGRANT
% WORKER POPULATION?
% >> WELL, IT'S VERY IMPORTANT
% BECAUSE THE BOTTOM LINE IS THAT
% EVEN THROUGH THIS PANDEMIC
% THEY'VE JUST EXPERIENCED, IT WAS
% THOSE IMMIGRANT WORKERS OUT IN
% THE FIELDS PUTTING THE FOOD ON
% AMERICA'S TABLE, AND, YOU KNOW,
% WHATEVER PEOPLE FEEL ABOUT
% IMMIGRANTS, THE REALITY IS THAT
% THEY'RE WORKING, THAT BUSINESSES
% ARE HIRING THEM AND NEEDING
% THEIR LABOR AND OTHERWISE, WE
% WOULDN'T HAVE A LOT OF
% PRODUCTION, AND PARTICULARLY
% HERE IN NORTH CENTRAL WISCONSIN,
% WHERE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION IS
% NON-EXISTENT, JUST ABOUT, VERY
% LIMITED, AND THE DISTANCES ARE
% SO GREAT.
% SO IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT THEY
% GET THEIR IN A SAFE WAY AND ALSO
% YOU DON'T WANT -- YOU HAVE TO
% CONSIDER THE FACT THAT A LOT OF
% THOSE IMMIGRANTS' KIDS ARE
% AMERICAN-BORN KIDS, THEY GO TO
% SCHOOLS, THEY NEED TO GO TO THE
% HOSPITALS, THEY NEED TO ARRIVE
% THERE IN A SAFE WAY SO IT'S AN
% IMPORTANT THING THAT PEOPLE DO
% SO IN A SAFE WAY AND THAT WE
% KNOW THAT -- WE ALL WANT TO KNOW
% THAT THOSE THAT ARE SHARING THE
% ROADS BUT IT IS ARE PEOPLE THAT
% HAVE BEEN TRAINED AND KNOW HOW
% TO FOLLOW THE RULES OF THE ROAD.
% >> SOME CRITICS SAY THAT THIS
% COULD LEAD TO FRAUD OR ILLEGAL
% VOTING.%WHAT'S YOUR RESPONSE
TO THAT?
% >> YOU KNOW, THAT IS A NARRATIVE
% THAT IS NOT TRUE.
% NUMBER ONE, IF SOMETHING LIKE
% THAT HAPPENS, YOU HAVE TO BLAME
% THE PEOPLE AT THE VOTING POLLS
% BECAUSE PEOPLE HAVE TO SHOW
% THEIR I.D. AND THE OFFER HAS
% ALWAYS BEEN THERE TO MAKE SURE
% THAT THESE AREN'T GOING TO BE --
% I.D. CARDS THAT ARE VERY
% SPECIFICALLY GOING TO SAY NOT
% FOR VOTING, SO THEY'RE NOT REAL
% I.D. COMPLIANT AS THEY HAVE TO
% BE, SO IT'S GOING TO BE VERY
% CLEARLY MARKED THAT THEY'RE NOT
% ABLE TO VOTE, AND I'VE GOT TO
% ADD SOMETHING TO THAT.
% THE POPULATION ALSO HAS NO
% INTEREST IN DOING THAT.
% THEIR INTEREST IS BEING ABLE TO
% GET ON THE ROAD SAFELY.
% >> HOW IS THE TIDE TURNING ON
% THIS ISSUE, THOUGH, BETWEEN THE
% WORKER SHORTAGE AND THE
% PROMOTING PUBLIC SAFETY?
% >> WELL, I THINK WE ARE VERY
% OPTIMISTIC THAT THINGS ARE
% CHANGING.%THE CONVERSATION H
AS CHANGED TO
% BE MORE EDUCATIONAL, WHERE OUR
% LEGISLATORS UNDERSTAND THE NEED
% THAT BUSINESS OWNERS AND THE
% INDUSTRY NEEDS FOR THE WORKERS
% AND THAT SAFETY IS SOMETHING
% THAT IS INCREDIBLY BIG, NOT ONLY
% JUST ABOUT THE IMMIGRANT
% UNDOCUMENTED WORKER, BUT THE
% REST OF US THAT ARE ON THE ROAD.
% IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO KNOW THAT
% PEOPLE HAVE INSURANCE, THAT THEY
% KNOW HOW TO DRIVE AND THAT WE
% ARE SAFE ON THE ROADS.
% >> YOU SAID ANOTHER TOP ISSUE IN
% YOUR AREA WITH NOT VERY MUCH
% TIME LEFT HERE TO TALK, IS
% MENTAL HEALTH.
% WHAT'S THE SITUATION?
% >> WELL, WE FIND OURSELVES IN A
% VERY HARD SITUATION BECAUSE
% THERE'S NOT ENOUGH MENTAL HEALTH
% PROVIDERS TO START WITH, AND
% MOST IMPORTANTLY, THERE'S NOT
% MENTAL HEALTH PROVIDERS THAT
% SPEAK THE LANGUAGE OR THAT HAVE
% THE CULTURAL KNOWLEDGE.
% SO WE HAVE TO BRIDGE THAT GAP.
% HOPEFULLY WITH MORE
% PROFESSIONALS THAT CAN DO THAT,
% BUT IN THE MEANTIME, THE USE OF
% PEOPLE THAT KNOW THE LANGUAGE,
% INTERPRETERS THAT CAN HELP
% BRIDGE THAT GAP IS VERY
% IMPORTANT HERE BECAUSE IT IS AN
% ISSUE WITH MANY OF OUR FARMERS,
% BEING A QUARTER OF AN INCH THEIR
% FAMILIES, -- BEING AWAY FROM
% THEIR FAMILIES, HAVING TO LIVE
% IN THE SHADOWS, AND DID ALSO
% GROWING IN THAT ENVIRONMENT IS A
% REALLY BIG BURDEN AND IT'S A BIG
% NEED HERE, MENTAL HEALTH, AND
% PROVIDERS TO HELP WITH THAT.
% >> ALL RIGHT.
% WELL, TONY GONZALEZ, THANKS VERY
% MUCH.%>> WELL, THANK YOU FOR