Milwaukee – Thousands of unfilled jobs in Wisconsin will soon have incredibly qualified candidates thanks to a new law authored by Representative Joel Kitchens. On Thursday, Governor Evers signed Assembly Bill 759 in Milwaukee. The new law will allow people in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) to obtain state licenses. Representative Kitchens says this is an important step to keep valuable workers in the state.
 
“This is an extremely well-vetted group of individuals who entered the country through no choice of their own. They are Americans who know no other country as their home,” Kitchens said, “They have proven their value to our society by working, paying taxes, and staying out of trouble. The citizens of Wisconsin have invested in them by paying for their schooling through high school. Now, when they are ready to join the workforce, we force them to go to Illinois?”
 
According to the DWD’s Job Openings & Labor Turnover Survey, Wisconsin had nearly 130,000 job openings statewide in November of 2025. Employers across the state consistently voice frustration over the difficulty of filling these positions. Dreamers are an untapped, finite group of 525,210 workers currently living in the United States (5,370 in Wisconsin). Unlocking the potential of this group is a pivotal solution to address our workforce shortages in Wisconsin.
 
“Nineteen other states allow DACA recipients to access professional licenses, varying from some to all. We should not let our state fall behind,” Kitchens said, “We need to utilize this existing workforce with huge potential. This doesn’t encourage illegal immigration; it allows people who are here legally to get the licenses they need to start a career.”
 
Participants in the DACA program, which stands for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, are also known as Dreamers. These are individuals who were brought into this country illegally as children before 2012. To remain in the program, they:

  • Must undergo an extensive biennial background check
  • Must pay $605 every two years to keep their paperwork current
  • Must register for the US military draft
  • Have Work Authorization, Social Security cards, and a Driver’s License    
  • Must pay Federal & State taxes

“The one thing they lack is the ability to get a state license to start a career, whether that’s being a plumber, a teacher, or a realtor,” Kitchens said, “Now they will be able to do that like everyone else who grew up in Wisconsin.”

Representative Kitchens represents Door, Kewaunee, and parts of Brown County.