Immigration bill clears Senate
Feb. 22, 2011
Written by
Heather Gillers Filed Under
News
Politics & Government
An Arizona-style immigration measure that would task local police with enforcing federal immigration law passed the Senate 31-18 this evening over the objections of several major employers and local government officials. Proponents said the bill will help protect Indiana from terrorists who might sneak in via the Mexican border, from competition illegal immigrant laborers who might drive down wages, and from unfair tax burdens created by those immigrants.
"This bill should not be called the Immigration Matters bill," said Sen. Michael Young, R-Indianapolis. "It should be called the Indiana Security and Taxpayer Protection Act."
Opponents of the bill include the Indiana Association of Cities and Towns, the state hotel association and the Indiana Restaurant Association. Some business leaders say they are already hearing from conventions, conferences and prospective employees who say they would avoid coming to Indiana for fear that visitors would be targeted by police based on their appearance.
The bill's sponsor, Sen. Mike Delph, R-Carmel, who was absent for the vote because he was taking the bar exam, has said he does not believe the bill encourages racial profiling and that racial profiling is "illegal, immoral and wrong."
Five Republicans, including Tom Wyss of Fort Wayne, voted with Democrats against the measure. Wyss, who has worked on homeland security issues, said that the measure would invite lawsuits and questioned the merits of passing a bill in order to send a message to the federal government.
"If they don't know how we feel about illegal immigration and that it should be stopped," he said. "I don't know what we're going to do that would make much of a difference."
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