Rep. Lopez: Immigration is Personal for Me
INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana State Rep. Danny Lopez said immigration policy is a personal issue for him, citing his family’s history as political refugees, as lawmakers continue debating how the state should work with federal authorities on immigration enforcement.
Lopez, a Republican, said his parents and grandparents fled Cuba to escape communism and went through the asylum process to seek a better life in the United States.
“This is particularly meaningful to me,” Lopez said. “I’m a first-generation son of political refugees. My parents lived the asylum process, and my grandparents lived the asylum process.”
Lopez said there is broad agreement across the political spectrum that violent criminals who are in the country illegally should be removed.
“There’s a ton of consensus around ensuring that particularly violent criminals who are here illegally are out — that we get them out,” he said.
Lopez said Indiana should focus on cooperating with federal authorities by providing access to jails and the criminal justice system so immigration status can be determined for people accused of crimes.
“I think that’s what our efforts at the state level should focus on,” he said. “Working with our federal partners to identify those who are here, committing crimes, and getting them out.”
He said targeted enforcement helps avoid broader immigration sweeps that can affect families who are not involved in criminal activity.
“When you don’t have that kind of cooperation, you end up with broad sweeps,” Lopez said. “That’s when grandma and kids get caught up in this.”
Lopez said his priority is ensuring that people who are in the country illegally and committing crimes are the first to be deported.
“The folks who are here illegally and committing crimes in our society should be the first ones on a plane out of here,” he said.
The comments come as Indiana lawmakers consider proposals related to immigration enforcement and coordination with federal agencies.
