AG Rokita sues Monroe County over ‘sanctuary city’ policies
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Just days after filing a lawsuit against the City of East Chicago, Indiana’s Office of the Attorney General is now suing Monroe County over its local immigration policy.
“After filing a lawsuit against East Chicago earlier this week, I am now taking similar action in Monroe County over an ‘Immigration and Citizenship Status’ policy, which we find also violates state law,” Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita said in a news release. “After multiple conversations with the Sheriff’s Office to rescind its illegal policy, it didn’t work, and now my office is taking the next step to enforce state law as passed by the General Assembly.”
The complaint was filed Thursday in the Monroe Circuit Court.
The lawsuit is requesting the trial court to compel Monroe County to stop allegedly violating the state’s ban on “sanctuary cities.”
“Illegal immigration is unfair to those who came here the right way and to the hardworking Hoosiers who are bearing increased costs for health care, education and other services used by illegal aliens who shouldn’t be here,” Rokita said. “My office acted in East Chicago and Monroe County, but we are not stopping there. We will continue evaluating other local units of government and ensuring the law is followed.”
The lawsuit filed Monday against the city of East Chicago alleged the city was not complying with federal immigration laws. It stated the city is violating Indiana Code chapter 5-2-18.2.
Rokita warned several Indiana cities of litigation if they didn’t rescind their local policies on “sanctuary cities” back in May.