INDIANAPOLIS -- An Arizona-like Immigration bill is looming in the Indiana legislature, as one state senator is looking at cracking down on illegal immigrants in Indiana. But the bill goes a little further, making English the only language used by state and local government.
"It's going to put everyone under the same rule of law, there isn't going to be a question anymore that people in the state of Indiana are legally able to be here and legally able to work here as well," State Senator Mike Delph, (R) Carmel, said.
Senator Delph, is the author of Senate Bill 0590. A bill that will require police to as people to verify their legality, for example, during a traffic stop if police suspect they could be illegal.
The bill also mandates all local and state government to only use the English language.
"Any government entity at the state or local level would be required to perform all of their operations and interactions in English, including public meetings, voice activated systems with the telephone or electronic communication," Delph said.
But some say the bill won't be good for the state.
"I think that it's again another attempt to pass a law that doesn't make any sense," Juan Carlos Guzman, Director of Research at Notre Dame's Institute for Latino Studies, said.
On top of the potential for racial profiling and causing more stress for legal immigrants, Guzman says the bill could actually cost Indiana.
"There is potential benefits, they (illegal immigrants) spend in Indiana, they create jobs in Indiana, so if you are thinking about calculating the costs, lets calculate the benefits," Guzman said.
The bill will be heard by the Committee on Pensions and Labor in the Senate Chamber of the Statehouse on February 2.
To read the bill in its entirety, you can visit theIndiana General Assembly webpage.
