Wisconsin bill would require sheriffs to check citizenship

A new bill proposed by Republican lawmakers would require Wisconsin sheriffs to check the citizenship status of all people arrested for felonies. If an arrestee’s citizenship could not be determined, or if they are found to be undocumented, the sheriff’s office would be required to notify federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Sheriff’s offices failing to do so could face reduced state aid as a consequence. Another provision of the bill would require jails to honor federal detention requests, which could increase costs incurred by county jails. The bill authors told reporters they would expect jails to seek reimbursement from the federal government to offset those costs.  The bill is expected to be introduced as early as next week. The proposal faces an almost certain veto by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, who said he would veto it based on the draft of the legislation.