Local Reaction to Immigration Order
Saturday, November 22nd, 2014 -- 9:10 AM
Wisconsin politicians, business and agriculture leaders and advocates are reacting to President Barack Obama's plans to shield as many as 5 million immigrants from deportation.The Washington, D.C.-based Migration Policy Institute says there were about 76,000 immigrants living illegally in Wisconsin in 2012.
Under Obama's plan, deportation protections would be extended to parents of U.S. citizens and permanent residents, as long as those parents have been in the country at least five years.
Democrats are generally praising Obama's action, while Gov. Scott Walker called it illegal.
Immigrant rights advocates support the president, while the state's business and agriculture community are more circumspect.
Wisconsin Farm Bureau spokesman Casey Langan says Obama's plan is "not the comprehensive, long-term fix that agriculture is seeking."
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