State Rep. Ragen Hatcher, D-Gary, has condemned Attorney General Todd Rokita’s recent threat to sue Gary and three other Indiana cities if they do not repeal their “sanctuary city” ordinances by July 1.
In a statement released Thursday afternoon, Hatcher challenged not only the legal basis of the attorney general’s threats but his political intentions as well.
“This isn’t a legal move; it is part of a national culture war surrounding immigration that has no place in the Hoosier state,” Hatcher said.
“It’s no secret that Gary is the city with the largest percentage of minorities in Indiana,” she continued. “For decades, we’ve been a place of refuge for people of color who felt like they could safely live and raise their family here.”
Last month, Rokita sent letters to Gary, East Chicago, West Lafayette, and Monroe County officials threatening legal action if they did not rescind their immigration policies, which extend protections to immigrants.
“The flood of illegal immigrants entering the United States is a problem that harms all of us,” Rokita said in a release. “The ones paying the price for this lawlessness are Hoosier taxpayers, who must bear increased costs for health care, education and other services used by illegal immigrants.”
In 2011, the Indiana General Assembly passed Senate Bill 590, which prohibited cities and towns from restricting immigration officers and federal agencies like ICE from conducting investigations.
Hatcher, a member of the Gary Common Council in 2017, helped adopt the “Welcoming City” ordinance, stopping short of making Gary a “sanctuary city” like Chicago.
“This ordinance was already litigated and spent five years in the court of law,” Hatcher said. “One of Indiana’s highest courts restored portions of the ordinance and believed it was compliant with state law.”
