Legislatively Speaking
By Senator Lena C. Taylor
Lena C. Taylor
By now, you’ve heard the phrase “Title 42”. However, you may not be clear about what it is. After all, the number 42 is legendary. Worn by Major League Baseball’s Jackie Robinson, Mariano Rivera, and Mo Vaughn, sports fans know the number well. The NBA’s James Worthy and Jerry Stackhouse rocked the number and former Green Bay Packer Darren Sharper’s 42 jersey is vintage now.
The “Title 42”, making headlines this week, refers to the name of an emergency U.S. health authority. Started in 2020, migrants attempting to enter the country could be turned away under the banner of reducing the spread of COVID-19. Prior to that, migrants who crossed illegally could ask for asylum. While they awaited the process to play out, they could be allowed to remain in the U.S.
There were nearly 3 million migrant border crossings last year. There isn’t a person in the nation that would disagree with the fact that we have a broken immigration system. No matter the administration or bi-partisan support, substantive immigration policy has stalled. In 2006 and 2013, we were close. High-profile federal legislators, on both sides of the aisle, seemed ready to come to the table and hammer out reforms.
Congress last acted on major immigration reform in 1986, with the passage of the Immigration Reform and Control Act (aka Regan Amnesty). The law, signed by President Ronald Regan, made it illegal to hire or recruit illegal immigrants. It also legalized the status of about 2.7 million undocumented residents who entered the United States before 1982.
Somewhere along the way, the winds shifted and anti-immigration policy and groups took a hard turn to the right. Cue the chants: We will not be replaced.
Title 42, which was initiated during Donald Trump’s presidency, was continued by President Joe Biden when he first took office. Biden sought to later end the policy and Republicans sued to keep the COVID-19 practice in place. When the COVID-19 emergencies ended federally, via Biden’s orders, Title 42 ended.
In the meantime, life moves on. Ironically in the Wisconsin Senate Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety, we heard SB 78/AB51, which deals with the ability of documented migrants to serve as a member of law enforcement in the state. Currently, in Wisconsin, only a U.S. citizen can be a deputy sheriff or police officer. This bill would allow a documented alien, awaiting DACA decisions, with valid employment authorization to be an officer. The bill would also prevent the law enforcement standards board from stopping such an alien from participating in a law enforcement preparatory training program.
There are about 6,200 residents in Wisconsin who are eligible for the federal DACA program. Seven states including North Dakota, California and Washington already allow people living in the country illegally to serve as police officers. I have supported this bill because I understand that need on both sides of this issue: broken policies are not, life must go on.