Valdiosera joined a protest against the state's get-tough immigration proposal Tuesday in hopes that his undocumented students will have the same kinds of opportunities.
"I feel that I've been contributing to American society," said Valdiosera, who came to the U.S. at age 5 and gained legal status through President Ronald Reagan's 1986 amnesty program. "And a lot of these young kids are going to be great contributors to American society. They are going to be taxpayers at a higher tax bracket. All in all, they are going to be an asset to our community."
Valdiosera, 38, was one of about 200 people who rallied on the Statehouse lawn Tuesday afternoon in opposition to Senate Bill 590, which passed the Senate 31-18 last month.
If it becomes law, police officers would have the power to contact federal authorities and check the immigration status of any person stopped on any violation, such as a broken taillight, if the officer had "reasonable suspicion" the person was an illegal immigrant.
The measure, sponsored by Sen. Mike Delph, R-Carmel, also would prohibit undocumented students at state colleges and universities from receiving in-state tuition rates. A second bill, House Bill 1402, would do the same, but Delph's bill also would bar them from receiving any state financial aid, grants or scholarships.
"The totality of the bill is to try to encourage self-deportation," Delph said, explaining that he would like to see illegal immigrants return to their birthplaces on their own. "Hoosier taxpayers didn't ask to import illegal immigrants, nor should they subsidize through tax dollars their being here."
Some supporters of Delph's measure emphasize the strain they say illegal immigrants have put on public services such as schools, medical care and social services.
Others argue illegal immigrants provide a cheap labor source that undermines Hoosier workers at a time of high unemployment. Delph says he believes opposition to the bill is bolstered by a powerful business lobby that wants to preserve that cheap work force.
Those assembled on the Statehouse lawn Tuesday afternoon included students, young families and even four ROTC cadets from Thomas Carr Howe Community High School, who formally presented the American flag at the rally's start.
Indiana United, a grass-roots group concerned about SB 590, organized the rally.
One demonstrator, Maria Hernandez, 47, was worried the bill could break up her family. Her grandchildren, Tony, 8, and Cindy, 10, are U.S. citizens, and the law could lead to the deportation of their parents and grandmother.
"We've been here in Indy for almost 22 years," said Hernandez, whose daughter was 8 when they came here illegally from Mexico. "It feels like home."
Another rally participant, Aarion Thurman, 18, said he sympathizes with his undocumented classmates at Tech High School, who would be ineligible for scholarships no matter how good their grades.
"They work just as hard as any other person I know," Thurman said. "And just because a paper says they were born a few miles away from the border, they can't get money for college. That's not fair."
At one point in the rally, organizers called forward anyone who was in school, and dozens of students came forward.
Many undocumented students were brought here as toddlers by their parents and consider themselves Americans, said Indiana University student Alicia Nieves, 20.
"If you're going to invest $9,000 in a student every year from K to 12," Nieves said, referring to public school costs, "don't be surprised that they have the same American dream that everyone else does."
Opponents of Delph's measure have spoken out most strongly against the provision that would task state and local police with enforcing federal immigration law.
Some mayors fear the bill would lead to additional police department expenses. The State Police already expect they would spend $1 million to $5 million for training and enforcement of the immigration law. Delph says illegal immigrants cost the state more than that.
Nearly 3,500 people have signed the "Indiana Compact," which expresses concern about the "tone" of Indiana's illegal immigration discussion and emphasizes that immigration is a federal issue. They include Attorney General Greg Zoeller, Congressman Andre Carson and Marion County Prosecutor Terry Curry.
Representatives of business giants Eli Lilly and Co. and Cummins Inc. fear such a law would subject their diverse (and legal) work forces to harassment. And, state hotel and restaurant associations fear it would put off conventions and businesses. St. Elmo's Steak House, an Indianapolis institution, brought tacos to a Statehouse event last week instead of its trademark shrimp cocktail to send a message in support of Indiana's diverse work force.
One of the ROTC cadets at Tuesday's rally, Cadet 2nd Lieutenant Robert Johnson, said he, too, thinks SB 590 creates an unwelcoming atmosphere.
"I don't think the government should target specific people just because they look differently from other people," he said.
Delph says trained police can identify suspected illegal immigrants without racial profiling. But Marion County Judge Jose Salinas, one of the speakers at the rally, disagreed.
"The only way to implement (SB 590) is to allow officers to take into account someone's skin color, their appearance, their accent, their last name," Salinas said. "There's no other way."
SB 590 is eligible for consideration in the House once Democrats return from a walkout that's based on labor and education issues.
HB 1402, which is sponsored by Sen. Jim Buck, R-Kokomo, is scheduled today for a 1:30 p.m. Senate hearing in Room 233 of the Statehouse. That bill would exclude students who came here illegally from the $3,500 to $18,700 per-year discount in tuition that Indiana residents get at state colleges and universities.
Now, anyone who has lived in Indiana for the past 12 consecutive months is eligible for the benefit.
Call Star reporter Heather Gillers at (317) 444-6405 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (317) 444-6405 end_of_the_skype_highlighting.
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