On Thursday, a large group of protestors gathered at the Indiana Statehouse and urged lawmakers to take another look at a bill regarding immigration notices, which is now one step closer to being passed by the Indiana House.
Carolina Castoreno, a member of the Indiana Latino Democratic Caucus (INDLC), stated, “It’s invoking fear in our community. There are so many people who will be affected by a bill like this simply based on racial profiling.”
If HB 1393 is passed, state and local law enforcement will be required to transmit the names, residences, and other identifying information of people who have been arrested and are suspected of being in the country illegally to ICE.
State Representative Jim Lucas (R-Seymour), who is one of the co-authors of the measure, stated that one of his objectives is to reduce the amount of human trafficking cases in Indiana.
“This is an emotional topic, I get that. But we have to do something to turn around the horrors of what we’ve been seeing and what we’ve been witnessing.” Lucas stated prior to the committee vote.
The vote was followed by dozens of protesters voicing their concerns at the Indiana Statehouse.
“I have friends and loved ones who are going to be impacted by this bill,” an unnamed protestor stated.
“We’re done with lawmakers trying to spread us apart,” another protestor stated.
Leslie Salazar of the INDLC stated, “This is just wrong; it’s just blatant racism and we cannot continue.”
However, Lucas maintained that at the federal level, action must be taken to reform long-standing, troublesome immigration policy.
“It is not racist,” Lucas stated. “It couldn’t be further away from being racist. This is just a simple determination of somebody that has been arrested for a felony or misdemeanor of whether they are here legally or illegally.”
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Despite one Republican (State Representative Becky Cash) voting “no,” the bill passed 9-2 out of committee.
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“How people feel about it, any information that might come out that could either improve the bill or take away from it,” Lucas stated. “We’re just beginning that process, so it has a long way to go.”
It’s unclear when exactly the bill will be heard on the House floor at this time.
