Indiana's attorney general says he's suing East Chicago over its "Welcoming City Ordinance."
In the complaint, Todd Rokita says the 2017 ordinance limits city officials' ability to enforce federal immigration laws, a violation of Indiana Code. That includes restricting city officials from requesting information about someone's citizenship status, detaining someone simply because they're believed to be in the country illegally and letting ICE agents have access to people in the city's custody.
Rokita says the city council didn't respond to a warning he sent in May, in which he urged the city to repeal the ordinance.
In a statement, the attorney general says East Chicago is being operated as a "sanctuary city, giving safe harbor to illegal aliens." He argues that illegal immigration is unfair to Hoosiers and those who worked hard to enter the country legally.
While state law has long banned "sanctuary city" ordinances, the attorney general wasn't given explicit authority to enforce that ban until July 1. Rokita adds that this may not be the last lawsuit he files on this issue.
