Several years ago, farmers and manufacturers in the Whitewater area, needing labor, began hiring immigrants to work in their fields and factories. COVID-19 reduced the number of college students living in Whitewater, leaving ample housing for immigrants.
Once asylum seekers settled in Whitewater, they assisted other family members in joining them. Many of our European ancestors did the same to establish themselves as American citizens. As COVID receded, university students returned to town.
In Wisconsin, immigrants without proof of citizenship or parole status cannot get a driver’s license. After filing an asylum application, applicants must wait 150 days before they can apply for a work permit. After applying, it may take another year to receive the permit. They desperately want to work, but they cannot get to their jobs unless they drive without a license, and other options are not readily available to them.
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The Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation and the Dairy Business Association have advocated for granting driver’s licenses to immigrants living in Wisconsin who cannot prove citizenship, but efforts to do so have been blocked by our Republican-dominated state legislature.
Local employers need workers and immigrants want to provide for their families. Let’s give them a fair chance to succeed.
Susan Swoboda, Whitewater
