opinion

Hackney: Indiana again puts its hate on stage for world to see

There aren’t enough adjectives to describe Indiana’s new policy that blocks young immigrants from obtaining professional licenses and shuts down their chances of gainful employment.

But let me try.

Mean-spirited. Bigoted. Cruel. Discriminatory. Spiteful. Misguided. Racist. Hateful. Unjust. Despicable. Regressive. Embarrassing. Heartless. Disappointing.

The policy, recently implemented by Gov. Eric Holcomb’s administration, is derailing the professional careers of those who have already pursued a field of study and are preparing to seek employment. These individuals, called Dreamers, were brought to the United States illegally as children but were granted legal work status.

But apparently not in Indiana.

Here’s how it works: The Indiana Professional Licensing Agency recently added new questions about citizenship status to all of its license applications, allowing it to screen out DACA recipients who the agency says are not qualified to hold professional licenses under federal law and a 2011 Indiana immigration law.

The state law requires agencies to verify that a person is a U.S. citizen or a qualified alien to receive state benefits, including professional licenses. But experts say the federal law does allow for states to independently determine whether a person's immigration status should be used to screen out DACA applicants.

The new practice effectively locks out Indiana’s roughly 9,000 DACA recipients from more than 70 professional licenses in Indiana, ranging from cosmetology to engineering, nursing and architecture.

These were individuals set to become productive, taxpaying, employed members of society. Instead, this policy leaves them unable to provide for themselves and their families.

Is this the welcoming and inclusive Indiana we like to portray? Is this Hoosier hospitality at its finest?

Not even close.

Holcomb released a statement Tuesday welcoming pending state legislation that would allow DACA recipients to obtain licenses, while acknowledging that Indiana’s Professional Licensing Agency acted appropriately and in line with current laws.

"Ultimately, Congress needs to clarify federal immigration law regarding DACA. But, until they act, Indiana state law should allow DACA recipients to skill up and work here in Indiana," Holcomb said.

It's unclear whether Holcomb was aware of the new policy, but I'm hopeful that he is determined not to pick up where Vice President Mike Pence left off – implementing policies that discriminate against Hoosiers and reinforce Indiana’s unfair image as the den of close-minded thinking.

Because it never seems to fail that as the nation debates laws and issues of social conscience, Indiana falls on the wrong side of the argument. In essence, this state policy as it stands negates the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program established by President Barack Obama in 2012, which protected Dreamers from deportation and granted legal work status.

You may love or hate DACA, but it is still the law of the land. President Trump said he would end the program on March 5. But that plan was dealt a setback Monday when the U.S. Supreme Court refused to review a federal judge’s order that the Trump administration continue the program, instead opting to allow the case to run its normal course through the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit.

As a result, the program that has protected some 690,000 undocumented immigrants from deportation and enabled them to get work permits will remain in place – at least temporarily.

Indiana has no rightful place in the DACA fight. Holcomb's administration is wading into territory that could come back to haunt the state.

Holcomb and state leaders proudly tout Indiana as a business-friendly, family-friendly mecca. Strengthening Indiana’s workforce has been a major focus for Holcomb since taking office last year.

And the Indianapolis region is a finalist to house Amazon's second headquarters, a prize that could mean a $5 billion campus development that would employ 50,000 workers with average salaries of more than $100,000 annually.

But Holcomb's "open for business" message is lost in Indiana's reality.

For example, the Republican-led Senate refused last month to pass hate crimes legislation, leaving Indiana as one of only five states without such a law. The measure would have allowed judges to impose tougher sentences for crimes motivated by factors such as race, religion, sex, gender identity and sexual orientation.

And we've barely exhaled after the Religious Freedom Restoration Act storm that shook Indiana three years ago. The law, signed by Pence, could have opened the door to widespread discrimination by businesses against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals.

Now we're setting up immigrants to fail — and undoubtedly we'll eventually hear a chorus from our Republican lawmakers who will criticize them for not being self sufficient.

Here's another adjective to describe this mess: Disgusting. And the General Assembly needs to work quickly to clean it up.

Once again, shame has been brought on Indiana.

Email IndyStar columnist Suzette Hackney at suzette.hackney@indystar.com. Friend her on Facebook at Suzette Hackney and follow her on Twitter: @suzyscribe.