On May 9th, 5 undocumented students visited Indiana Gov. Daniels’ office and asked for a meeting. They were arrested and are currently sitting in jail waiting for Gov. Daniels to take action and stand up for them and immigrants in Indiana. These 5 undocumented youth are now on a hunger strike until Gov. Daniels makes the right decision and vetoes SB590 and HB1402. Arresting students, rather than allowing them to continue with their education, is not what we believe Indiana to be. Gov. Daniels, make the right decision by vetoing SB590 and HB1402 and bailing these 5 brave students out of jail immediately.
Implementing an Arizona copycat immigration and denying in-state tuition to undocumented students does nothing to reform our country’s immigration system. Instead, these laws divide our communities through fear and distrust while violating human and civil rights and stifling opportunity.
SB 590 will drive immigrant families and businesses out of the state, costing the state of Indiana millions of dollars in lost revenue. At a time when our economy is suffering, Indiana cannot afford to implement SB590. The bill will also hurt Indiana’s image and will drive away tourists for fear of being asked for their “papers.”
HB1402 is hurtful to universities and our overall community. Out-of-state tuition at most universities and colleges is at least three times the cost of in-state tuition. Universities will lose revenue and cultural diversity as undocumented students forgo their education due to its high cost. Only 21% of Indiana’s population has a bachelor’s degree or higher – our state should implement policies that encourage and facilitate higher education instead of denying opportunities to those who seek further education.
We believe SB590 and HB1402 unfairly demonizes hard-working immigrants and students striving for a better future. By signing this bill, Governor Daniels will consent to hateful anti-immigrant speech that only beings fear into the lives of the immigrant community.
We urge Governor Daniels to step away from hateful language that criminalizes undocumented immigrants and limits opportunity by vetoing SB590 and HB1402 immediately. Instead, we urge him to support our immigrant community that contributes significantly to our state’s economy.
Take Action: Make a call to the Governor demanding he VETO the bills! http://action.dreamactivist.org/indiana
Make a Contribution to the Dreamer bail fund https://action.dreamactivist.org/bail/
NYT: “5 Arrested After Protest at Ind. Governor’s Office” http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2011/05/09/us/AP-US-Illegal-Immigration-Protest.html?_r=3&hp
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