For University of Wisconsin students, the illegal immigration issue may seem distant and unworthy of extensive debate in the Wisconsin Legislature.

There doesn’t appear to be an illegal Canadian epidemic sweeping the Midwest and the topic of border security is certainly more focused in the south than the north. But despite the seemingly distant nature of the topic, the Wisconsin State Assembly passed a bill on immigration Feb. 18.

This legislation penalizes local governments that do not require officers to report the immigration status of someone charged with a crime. If a judge finds a local government in violation of the legislation, the state aid funneled to said local government can be reduced between $500 and $5,000 for every day the sanctuary city legislation remains in place. This legislation comes in conjunction with a Senate bill passed Feb. 16, which limits how local governments can distribute IDs.

The Assembly bill comes largely in response to the nationally publicized death of Kate Steinle, who was a 32-year-old Medtronic employee. On July 1, 2015, she was walking along Pier 14 in the Embarcadero district of San Francisco. While she was walking, Juan Francisco Lopez-Sanchez fired three shots from a stolen government handgun. One of the rounds struck Steinle and she died two hours later at the San Francisco General Hospital. 

Lopez-Sanchez, an illegal immigrant, was released under San Francisco sanctuary city legislation, which, according to state legislators, is similar to legislation passed by the local governments of the city of Madison and the Milwaukee County Board.

Gov. Scott Walker said Feb. 19 he does not believe the sanctuary city legislation will pass the state Senate and that he “was just fine with that.”

As someone who openly and unapologetically supports Walker, it is difficult to watch as he misses the mark completely on this particular topic.

Wisconsin can and should prioritize the destruction of sanctuary cities, and I applaud the state Assembly for prioritizing this topic. Not only do such cities blatantly act in opposition to a federal organization tasked with ensuring the safety of this nation and the execution of its laws, but they actively invite illegal immigrants into the state as federal ramifications are effectively nullified.

It takes away the threat of punishment of crimes in a city where the ramifications for being an illegal immigrant will not be added to the punishment for the crime committed. It is simple lunacy that causes individuals elected to represent the best interest of the citizenry to not support the electorate’s best interest. To support legislation intended to assist those who are illegally in the country is not in the interest of the electorate.

This legislation is not about targeting and deporting as many illegal immigrants as possible — it’s about upholding and faithfully executing the laws of this nation.

This principle applies equally to both the Assembly and Senate bills. If you are here illegally, there should not be a leftist ID system created solely to allow you to circumvent the legal restrictions implemented by the state and federal government.

To the Wisconsin Senate, pass the Assembly bill on to the governor’s desk and don’t allow the bully pulpit of Christine Neumann-Ortiz, founder of Voces de la Frontera, to dictate what the best course of action is for this state.

To Walker, sign the Senate bill because it simply prevents the sidestepping of pre-existing state legislation, and prioritize the passage of the assembly bill so that we can prevent another Steinle situation.

Jack Rieder ([email protected]) is a freshman majoring in in legal studies and history.