MADISON, Wis. (WRN) — The Wisconsin State Assembly approves a bill requiring local sheriffs to seek proof of citizenship from those in their custody who have been arrested for a felony.
Republican Speaker Robin Vos is one of the bill’s authors.
“The very idea that if someone commits a crime who is already here illegally, that the simplest thing is for the Sheriff’s Department to run their names to ensure that they are here legally, if not to cooperate with ICE to guarantee that they are appropriately taken care of at the federal level. It shouldn’t be controversial,” Vos said.
Sheriffs who fail to comply would put their county at risk of losing up to 15% of their state aid. Assembly Minority leader Greta Neubauer.
“This bill imposes mandates on law enforcement officials and threatens them with a reduction in shared revenue for failing to comply. After years of asking local communities to do more with less, it is unacceptable to threaten those vital funds for a political stunt,” Neubauer said.
The legislation now heads to the state Senate. Democratic Governor Tony Evers has said he’d veto the bill.
