Rep. Ireland Backs Immigration Cooperation Bill, Wants ICE in Indy

State Representative Andrew Ireland calls a recently passed immigration bill one that will set "a new gold standard for state immigration enforcement."

State Rep. Andrew Ireland (R-90) (Source: Indiana House Republicans)

INDIANAPOLIS — State Representative Andrew Ireland (R-90) is happy to see a bill that would strengthen state cooperation with federal immigration enforcement head to the governor’s desk.

Earlier this week, Senate Bill 76 passed the Senate on a 37-11 concurrence vote. The bill would prohibit local governments, law enforcement, public universities and schools, and other public entities from limiting or restricting enforcement of federal immigration laws, regardless of the enforcing agency.

SB 76 also permits the Attorney General to sue noncompliant jurisdictions and issue penalties to employers who knowingly hire unauthorized workers.

“When you look at the employment side, we wanted to have something on a state law basis to hold employers accountable when they’re hiring illegal immigrants in the first place,” Rep. Ireland told WIBC’s “The Hammer and Nigel Show” on Thursday. “It’s a federal crime and this makes it a state crime too.”

The Republican from Indianapolis said ICE is more than welcome to visit his city, and that he would help federal immigration agents in any way he can to remove those who he says are negatively impacting healthcare and housing costs for Hoosiers.

“We’ve got something like 50,000 illegal aliens in the city of Indianapolis and that is a real-world cost to people,” said Rep. Ireland.

According to Ireland, most of the people detained, arrested, and deported out of Indiana are “the worst of the worst people” who some on the other side of the aisle, like U.S. Representative Andre Carson (D-Indianapolis), don’t want out of the country, and who can’t stand for law enforcement.

“These are child sex offenders, these are murderers, these are gang members that we’re sending back to where they came from,” Ireland said. “The fact that you’ve got an elected Congressman that says no, actually, I’d like to protect them and keep them here in Indiana is such a wild thing.”

The bill is expected to be signed into law soon by Indiana Gov. Mike Braun.