Pryor concerned about civil rights violations under new immigration bill
Yesterday, Feb. 12, the Indiana House of Representatives passed Senate Bill 76 by a vote of 61-28. Since the bill was amended, it now heads back to the Senate for their approval of the changes before going to the governor’s desk.
SB 76 aligns state entities with current federal policy regarding undocumented immigration. Public schools and universities would be required to cooperate with federal immigration authorities, inviting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) into K-12 classrooms and college campuses. It would also empower Indiana’s attorney general to seek civil suits of up to $10,000 for violating these policies.
State Rep. Cherrish Pryor (D-Indianapolis) released the following statement on the bill’s passage:
“I am deeply disappointed in the passage of SB 76. SB 76 pressures state and local entities to act as pseudo-ICE agents, and diverts real public safety resources away from Indiana’s police forces and other services to pick up federal slack. Local units of government are already struggling because of Senate Bill 1 from last session. These measures will not help Hoosiers.
“This bill gives ICE the authority to walk into schools, universities, local government centers, hospitals and other institutions and disturb the peace of Hoosiers trying to go about their day. This will only cause already-tense situations to escalate and contribute to the ongoing trend of ICE agents’ racial profiling and detainment of law-abiding Americans. This could very well lead to the deaths of more United States citizens.
“The behavior we’re seeing from ICE in other states has no business spreading to Indiana, let alone using up local and state-level resources that should be used for the benefit of serving Hoosiers. They are being allowed to trample on our civil rights of American citizens. What right will be next. This is not who we are as Hoosiers or as Americans. For the sake of the dignity and respect of everyone who calls Indiana home, I implore the Senate and Governor Braun to give this bill the treatment that it deserves; kill this bill.”