INDIANAPOLIS — A proposed immigration enforcement bill that would require all state-funded agencies to comply with federal immigration laws and provide training on immigration cleared a Senate committee Tuesday.
Senate Bill 76, authored by State Sen. Liz Brown, would require all law enforcement agencies to comply with federal law and receive training on immigration. The bill also would track and report the immigration status of noncitizens receiving public benefits and could fine agencies $10,000 per violation.
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The measure would require employers to verify work eligibility through the federal electronic verification system. Some immigration advocates warned the requirement could lead to racial profiling.
"Threatening employers with investigations of quote unquote, 'recklessly or intentionally hiring someone without work authorization,' it pushes them toward discriminatory hiring practices,” Carolina Castoreno, who testified in opposition to the bill, said.
Sen. Brown said the bill contains no language that would permit consideration of race in employment decisions.
"I am one of those who is adamant that just because you are here illegally doesn't mean you are part of a particular race, so to be honest, I don't see that as a racial profiling issue,” State Sen. Liz Brown (R), Fort Wayne, said.
Statewide sheriffs said the bill largely reflects practices they already carry out and could streamline procedures.
Earlier this year, the lawmakers tried to pass an immigration bill that sheriff's offices said would have put a strain on manpower and their finances, but one that is being discussed now is something they support.
"What this will do is put the process for holding a detainee into the jail inspection, which is done every year at every jail across the state,” Sheriff Bob Goldsmith, the Tippecanoe County Sheriff and President of the Indiana Sheriffs Association, said.
Supporters say the measure will help protect wages and ensure American workers are hired.
"Individuals residing here illegally have no right to remain here, much less to compete with Hoosiers for housing or jobs to suppress wages or draw from state-funded resources that taxpayers rely on,” Logan Crum, who testified in support of the bill, said.
The bill passed out of committee along party lines, 6-2, and now goes to the full Senate for further consideration.
