In a significant development, the city of Gary, Indiana, has abandoned its sanctuary city policy, which had been shielding undocumented immigrants from federal immigration authorities. This move comes in response to a 2017 lawsuit filed by the Immigration Reform Law Institute (IRLI), which argued that the policy was in direct conflict with Indiana’s 2011 ban on sanctuary jurisdictions.
The policy, which had been in place in Gary, prohibited local law enforcement from cooperating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in cases where undocumented immigrants were arrested on local charges. However, following the lawsuit and a threat from Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita to take legal action, city officials have now scrapped the policy.
Gary is not the only city in Indiana to have dropped its sanctuary city policy. Last month, East Chicago, Indiana, also repealed its policy in response to a lawsuit filed by Rokita. The move is seen as a significant victory for advocates of stricter immigration enforcement.
According to IRLI Executive Director Dale Wilcox, Indiana has become a model for other states to follow in terms of repealing sanctuary policies. “Where state laws against sanctuary policies exist, state attorneys general can bring about positive change by compelling local jurisdictions to comply with the law,” Wilcox said.
Wilcox also emphasized the need for other states to adopt a similar approach, citing the negative consequences of sanctuary policies, including increased crime, overcrowding, and lawlessness. “The Indiana model needs to be emulated in other states to push back against the problems we are seeing in too many cities today,” he said.
