Illegal Alien Students Protest At Indiana State Capital
May 11, 2011 8 Comments ›› Angelia
IndyStar
About 60 opponents of immigration reform protested today at Gov. Mitch Daniels’ office in the Indiana Statehouse.
Undocumented immigrant youth and others spoke out about their immigration status publicly — risking detention under federal law, organizers say — and asked Gov. Mitch Daniels to veto Senate Bill 590 and House Bill 1402.
The protest became loud and confrontational. Five people who were in the governor’s office, sitting on the floor with arms linked, were arrested and led away in handcuffs.
The protesters also sang and chanted. Among the chants were: “Up with hope, down with hate, Hoosiers don’t discriminate,” and “Education not deportation.
One of the protesters, Javier Barrera, 26, Indianapolis, screamed at Daniels’ door, saying, “Gov. Daniels, look into the eyes of the little kids who will be affected.
“We are here and we are human and we have rights,” said Barrera, a graduate of Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis.
Another protester was Omar Gama, 20, a sophomore studying non-profits at Indiana University in Bloomington. He said he came to the U.S. from Mexico when he was 11.
Gama graduated from Tech High School eighth in his class with a grade-point average of 3.9. He said his GPA at IU is 3.2.
SB 590, much like an Arizona immigration law, focuses on local police enforcing federal immigration laws. HB 1402 would exclude undocumented students from Indiana resident college tuition rates.
Gama said he now pays about $8,000 in tuittion but that would increase to $24,000 if the latter bill is signed.
“There’s no way I can afford it,” he said.
Daniels has not signed either bill.
The group also urged passed of the DREAM Act, a bill that would have granted undocumented students legal status after two years of college or serving in the military. The bill failed to pass the U.S. Senate earlier this year.
