Democratic candidate for Wisconsin secretary of state JoCasta Zamarripa said her top priority is getting the governor to sign a law granting driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants.
“My number one priority is to see the governor sign driver’s licenses for undocumented Wisconsinites into law. And I hope that that governor will be David Crowley,” Zamarripa said in remarks captured by WMTV Capitol bureau chief Vanessa Kjeldsen and posted Oct. 15.
Zamarripa, a former state representative now on the Milwaukee Common Council, has advocated for driver’s cards or licenses for people in the country illegally for more than a decade. As a legislator, she introduced bills allowing undocumented residents to obtain non-REAL ID driver’s cards after passing knowledge and skills tests, without requiring proof of legal presence. She described the proposals as public safety measures to ensure drivers are tested and insured. Those bills did not become law.
Crowley has also supported expanding driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants. He has said he would issue them if elected governor and has described himself as an “accomplice” rather than an ally on immigration issues. Heartland Post previously reported that Crowley directed Milwaukee County lobbyists to support legislation creating taxpayer-funded legal aid available regardless of immigration status and other measures that would expand benefits for those in the country illegally. He has also compared enforcement of immigration law to the Fugitive Slave Act.
Wisconsin currently requires proof of legal presence for standard driver’s licenses under federal REAL ID rules. Zamarripa’s proposal would reverse that for a noncompliant card. The Secretary of State’s office does not administer driver’s licenses; the Department of Transportation does. Zamarripa said she would use the statewide post to advocate for the change.
Republican nominee Jay Schroeder is running against her. Early voting is underway ahead of the Nov. 3 election.
