Indiana, Immigration, and Federal Immigration Enforcement

I am spending time in Indiana visiting family and friends and was not surprised that, like everywhere in the U.S., immigration is in the news.  Last week, protesters expressed opposition to Indiana Governor Mike Braun’s executive order on immigration requiring state and local support of federal immigration enforcement efforts and the many 

immigration bills under consideration by the Indiana General Assembly.

 

Indiana has a rich immigration history.  According to the Indiana Historical Society,

“Generations of newcomers came to Indiana to work as laborers or skilled workers, farmers, indentured servants or entrepreneurs. Some came to escape religious and political oppression or other hardships in their homelands. They traveled from Europe, Great Britain, Asia, Mexico or Canada, and from neighboring states such as Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, Virginia and North Carolina. They arrived by horseback, carriage, boat, train or rail, determined to find a better life for themselves and their families.

Some of us have arrived in Indiana more recently to work in the mills or factories, on farms, or for local businesses. Some study at Indiana’s colleges and universities, while others have started our own companies. Like those early pioneers, we’ve come to build new lives in Indiana, our chosen home. All of our stories are a unique part of Indiana’s history.”

KJ