Published: July 14, 2008 11:23 am         

Walorski to study illegal immigration

INDIANAPOLIS — State Rep. Jackie Walorski, R-Lakeville, Wednesday has been assigned to the Interim Study Committee on Immigration Issues.

Two House Republican colleagues, Rep. Eric Koch (Bedford) and Rep. Tim Harris (Marion), will join her on the 12-member study committee.

The committee is charged to examine the following immigration-related issues:

• Financial effect of illegal immigrants on education, health care, the criminal justice system, social services, wages and employment.

• Which state and local entities issue or routinely check identification.

• Federal limits on state actions regarding immigration.

• Current and future potential of the E-Verify system regarding its reliability, accessibility and dependability.

“While the initial legislation presented in the 2008 session garnered bipartisan support from the General Assembly and a great number of Hoosiers across the state, efforts to confront this serious issue were successfully thwarted by a minority of legislators who opposed the bill,” Rep. Walorski said.

“In the weeks ahead, I will examine seriously the evidence regarding our options for action to confront Indiana’s growing problem of illegal immigration. The federal government has lagged on this issue for years. Indiana must take action to enforce existing laws and hold illegal immigrants and those who employ them accountable for their unlawful actions,” Rep. Walorski added.

Rep. Jackie Walorski has experience in dealing with illegal immigration issues. She is a member of the Public Policy Committee that debated the 2008 legislation, has done research on her own time and traveled to Washington D.C. in 2007 to speak with the president’s Legislative liaison about funding an Indiana program of enforcement.

“It is my greatest hope that our time on this committee will be well spent to determine the best, most efficient and effective ways to fight illegal immigration in Indiana,” Rep. Walorski said. “Our research will allow us to head into the 2009 session armed with evidence to uphold the wishes of millions of Hoosiers who are calling for us to act on this very serious problem.”

Contact Walorski