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Rokita dismisses sanctuary city lawsuit after East Chicago repeals 'welcoming city' ordinance

Todd Rokita waves as he stands in the balcony of the Indiana House. Rokita is a White man with dark, graying hair. He is wearing a suit and tie.
Brandon Smith
/
IPB News
The legislature gave Attorney General Todd Rokita the power to enforce the state's ban on sanctuary cities.

The city of East Chicago has repealed its 2017 welcoming city ordinance after a lawsuit by Attorney General Todd Rokita.

Rokita alleged the ordinance violated Indiana’s ban on sanctuary cities — and the attorney general was given the power to enforce that ban earlier this year.

The ordinance directed city officials and law enforcement not to share information with federal immigration authorities — like a person’s immigration status, work location or contact information.

Indiana’s sanctuary cities ban, which dates to 2011, bans local governments from restricting communication or cooperation with federal officials when it comes to information about citizenship or immigration status.

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In its measure repealing the ordinance, the East Chicago city council said the ordinance is “not effective or necessary” to protect its residents’ rights.

In a statement, Rokita called the repeal a “big win” for legal immigrants. The attorney general has dismissed the case against East Chicago.

Rokita’s office still has an ongoing lawsuit against the Monroe County sheriff over an alleged sanctuary cities violation.

Brandon is our Statehouse bureau chief. Contact him at bsmith@ipbs.org or follow him on Twitter at @brandonjsmith5.

Brandon Smith has covered the Statehouse for Indiana Public Broadcasting for more than a decade, spanning three governors and a dozen legislative sessions. He's also the host of Indiana Week in Review, a weekly political and policy discussion program seen and heard across the state. He previously worked at KBIA in Columbia, Missouri and WSPY in Plano, Illinois. His first job in radio was in another state capitol - Jefferson City, Missouri - as a reporter for three stations around the Show-Me State.