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Brown's Immigration Enforcement Act Passes Committee

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Paige Gehlhausen, Press Secretary
Paige.Gehlhausen@iga.in.gov
317-232-9425

Brown's Immigration Enforcement Act Passes Committee

STATEHOUSE (Dec. 9, 2025) - Today, State Sen. Liz Brown (R-Fort Wayne)'s Immigration Enforcement Act, Senate Bill 76, passed the Senate Judiciary Committee after testimony and amendments, 6-2. It now is eligible to come before the full Indiana Senate.

Sen. Brown said of the Immigration Enforcement Act:
"Of course there's a monetary cost of illegal immigration to taxpayers, but there's an enormous cost of illegal immigration to our sovereignty and safety. The Biden administration's open borders policies continue to hurt Hoosiers who follow the law, seek gainful employment and pay their taxes. Further, if we're going to root out the scourge of illicit drugs taking Americans' lives and eliminate immoral human trafficking, we must start with securing our borders. I commend the Trump administration, ICE and other law enforcement partners for their bold enforcement of our nation's laws.”

"My Immigration Enforcement Act came as the result of much feedback and requests for state action on immigration, particularly from law enforcement. They want training to be sure detainer warrants are being handled correctly. They are on the front lines of this fight in our communities. As the legislative process typically goes, the conversation gets started and then legislation gets considered, debated, amended and considered again, until we get a bill that hits the objective of good law for the good of Hoosiers. We saw this process play out, in particular today, as amendments were added to SB 76 in committee to strengthen the bill.”

The Immigration Enforcement Act:

  • Provides a defense for law enforcement and other state officials if they act in good faith in enforcing immigration laws.
  • Uses a strong legal standard of “recklessly or intentionally” regarding the employment of illegal aliens, so employers can’t claim ignorance.
  • Probable cause of illegal hiring can be established by the Attorney General, a government agency, or a law enforcement agency.
  • Employment violations shall notify the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Indiana Commissioner of Labor. Violating a Department of Labor standard can carry a fine of up to $7,000 and repeated violations can carry a fine of up to $70,000.
  • Imposes a penalty of $10,000 per violation by cities or campuses for violations of the immigration detainer request.
  • Requires judges to include the fact that an individual has an immigration detainer request in their court records and ensures compliance with immigration detainer requests.
  • Provides that the Department of Correction will set up standards for jails to follow ICE and immigration detainer request requirements.
  • Requires FSSA to provide the legislature with a report about the number of non-citizens, and their immigration status, enrolled in social service programs.

Among those who testified in support of the Immigration Enforcement Act today were Indiana State Police, Sheriffs Association, Association of Counties, and government representatives, including a staff member from Gov. Mike Braun's office.

During her introduction of SB 76 in committee, Brown said, "What this Immigration Enforcement Act, SB 76, is doing is making sure that our immigration laws in the state of Indiana are being enforced and carried out. We know that President Trump's administration has asked for and pleaded for, quite frankly, support from local law enforcement, and I have found overwhelmingly that our local law enforcement are willing to do that. What they need, though, is something that they've not been trained to do. So one of the biggest issues for me was making sure that our law enforcement are safe when they're carrying out these duties and making sure that they have the proper training.”

Learn more about SB 76 here.

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State Sen. Liz Brown (R-Fort Wayne) represents Senate District 15,
which includes a portion of Allen County.
Click here to download a high-resolution photo.