Next, a "Look Ahead" to what beefed up immigration
enforcement could mean across the country
and here in Wisconsin.
According to memos released this week from the Department of
Homeland Security, immigrants classified as priorities for
removal are expanded to include those charged with minor crimes
and could include the act of entering the country illegally.
The memos call for a force multiplier of state and local
police to assist immigration enforcement
and, of course, the wall.
We have Wisconsin reaction to this policy
starting with the executive director
of the Midwest of Coalition to Reduce Immigration.
Dave Gorak who joins us from Baraboo.
And thanks a lot of being here. - Thank you.
- As you know according to most counts
about 11 million undocumented immigrants live in the U.S.,
about 85,000 in Wisconsin.
What's your reaction to the executive orders
on immigration enforcement?
- What the Trump Administration is doing is simply implementing
the recommendations of President Clinton's Immigration Reform
Commission that was chaired by the late Barbara Jordan.
She said that any immigration policy that we have
has to serve the national interests.
What we've had thus far hasn't been doing that.
But more importantly, she said any immigration policy,
if it's to be credible, it has to involve deporting people.
Now of course, our priorities are the criminal element,
but she said, in the end, if it's going to mean anything,
it's going to send a proper message to the rest of the
world, we have to deport people who have entered this country
illegally or come here legally on visas and then deliberately
overstayed those visas.
- Would you like to see the deportation of all 11 million
undocumented immigrants?
- Our concern is -- first of all, immigration is about jobs.
Right now, what we've got are eight million illegal aliens in
our workforce, most in them in construction, manufacturing,
services and transportation.
At the same time the federal government is reporting that we
have 15 million Americans who cannot find full-time work.
We want to know why this is going on.
- Let me ask you about the immigrant labor force.
As you know, Wisconsin dairy farms
rely heavily on immigrant labor.
And we're told that that's because
they have a very difficult time getting local labor.
So what about the concerns there on the part of the dairy
industry that the deportation of this labor potentially
could really hurt Wisconsin?
- The dairy industry has a legitimate complaint because
there are no visas available that address their labor needs.
The H2A visa allows growers to bring in
an unlimited number of temporary workers,
but the dairy farmers need a year-round labor force.
We think there are three options open to the dairy farmers.
Number one, they can get together and deal with
their members of Congress and say look,
we need a visa that addresses our labor needs
or they can mechanize.
A number of dairy farmers have done this around the country.
And finally they can offer better wages.
Now agriculture in general pays pretty bad wages
and it's hard work and it's dirty work.
But if you need to bring in foreign workers,
then you should do it legally.
- So you would be in favor of some kind of policy change
that would allow for the kinds of visas
that would help the dairy industry?
- Yes, absolutely.
Now, keep in mind, this country has
over 30 guest worker programs.
So I guess if we have to create another one, 31, 32.
But the point is, this is what they have to do and then they
never have to worry about labor shortages.
- Meanwhile, though, you would also like to see a shrinking of
the number of documented immigrants that are allowed into
this country, briefly, just describe why that is.
- During the first 200 years of this country's history,
we averaged about 250,000 legal immigrants every year.
But since 1990, that number has risen to more than 1.2 million.
And again, what this does is create competition for jobs
among the most vulnerable people in our society.
So yes, the Jordan Commission recommended cutting immigration
in half, to 500,000 and we feel comfortable with that.
- All right.
- We don't need-- I'm sorry.
- Go ahead very briefly.
- We don't need more immigrants or refugees.
What we need are more good-paying jobs for Americans.
- We leave it there.
Dave Gorak, thanks for joining us.
- Thank you.