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 HAS 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