Immigrant March In Madison

For a moment, it appeared illegal immigration was being discussed with a level of civility and the appearance of bipartisan cooperation, aiming to arrive at humane solutions to our self inflicted problems. I let hope get in the way of my understanding that the socialist core of the Democratic Party will not settle for civil discussion. Civil discussion will not gain them power. The Democrats bring 10,000 people into the streets of Madison today and Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager and her primary opponent Kathleen Falk declare their active support for rights for any attendee illegally present.

Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction employee Alfonso Zepeda-Capistran takes the lead in organizing the rally. No big surprise the head of the state’s Migrant Education Program is a product of Berkeley and the UW-Madison.

Biography: Zepeda-Capistrán grew up the son of a migrant worker. He was born in a mountain village in Mexico and moved to California at the tender age of 12. He worked in the fields with his family picking apricots, cucumbers, peaches, cherries, and tomatoes. Although often discouraged by his teachers and counselors in high school, Zepeda-Capistrán worked hard to obtain a higher education, attending undergraduate school at the University of California-Berkeley and graduate school at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Perhaps that is why he is a tireless advocate for migrant students in Wisconsin today and an invaluable advocate for the Latino community in the Madison area. At his day job he works for migrant students in his position as Education Specialist for the Department of Public Instruction. After hours, Zepeda-Capistrán can be seen throughout the community raising his voice for social change. He is the president of LUChA (Latinos United for Change and Advancement) where he works to create social opportunities and a political voice for Latinos.

The DPI employee explains his views on immigrant rights in an article he submits to "Cut and Run Resolution" organizers WI Network for Peace and Justice.

On February 23rd, the State Senate concurred with the Assembly in passing it own version of AB69, which, if signed, will have a disproportionate impact on people of Hispanic/Latino descent. Legally, economically and psychologically, this law will add an unfair burden to people without legal status and encourage racial profiling, resulting in discrimination against all those who may appear foreign. … In denying a driver’s license to an undocumented person, we are in fact unfairly creating a path towards the criminalization of these individuals.

Governor Doyle signs 2005 Wisconsin Act 126 on March 10th bringing Wisconsin Drivers Licenses into compliance with Federal ID standards. This is an essential step in gaining control of the knowledge of who is present in America. Citizen rights are additions to human rights and not to be exercised by any individual without primary allegiance to the United States. I am completely supportive of humane and considerate treatment of all peaceful individuals in this country, but I will oppose political attempts to exploit immigrants to expand the welfare state and the social injustice of collectivist government.