Nineteen ASU students traveled to Madison, Wis., this past weekend to stand in solidarity with University of Wisconsin students and recognize repressive legislation in both states. The ASU students represented several organizations that recognize interests of higher education, human rights and immigrant rights.
Wisconsin plans to emulate Arizona’s policies.
In education, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer has made a proposal this year to cut $170 million from the state’s universities, while Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker plans to cut $250 million from the University of Wisconsin system and $71.6 million from technical schools and colleges. Arizona and Wisconsin students will inevitably face tuition hikes due to the drastic cuts.
In February an Arizona Senate committee approved an end to the state Medicaid program in its entirety; in Wisconsin the new budget plan would cut the state’s Medicaid program for 55,000 people.
In addition, a bill that would have denied hospital access to undocumented people passed committee, though it failed before the Senate. In Wisconsin’s budget plan, Walker will deny legal immigrants health care, family care and senior care and food stamps. Prenatal care for undocumented women will no longer be granted if the plan passes.
Walker’s budget plan is a mirror image of the laws and budget plan Brewer is passing and both will negatively affect students and immigrants.
A bill that duplicates Arizona’s controversial immigration law, Senate Bill 1070, may be presented this week in Madison. The federal government struck down most of SB 1070 due to concerns of racial profiling, but the immigration bill in Wisconsin would still provoke racial profiling.
The bill enables police to exercise immigration and customs enforcement procedures on individuals that give reasonable suspicion they are in the United States without proper documentation.
Under the proposed SB 1070-esque legislation in Wisconsin, police officers are required to report the race and ethnicity of every individual they encounter and question. With the governor’s new plans the law that holds police accountable will no longer exist.
It is clear that Walker is targeting people of color, from the copy-cat SB 1070 to his attempts to deny legal immigrants healthcare. There is clearly mistreatment of people of color by the government.
Students and community members have occupied the space of both Capitol buildings in Phoenix and Madison. Because of excessive opposition, both spaces have limited citizen’s First Amendment rights by locking buildings and threatening protesters.
It is imperative that the governing authorities in these states acknowledge the concerns of students and residents. The laws and plans that are being passed separate communities and interrupt safe spaces for students, immigrants and people of color.
Reach Justine at jrgarci8@asu.edu
