Attorney General Todd Rokita today filed a lawsuit that is the first of its kind for the state of Indiana to defend against the attack on our southern border.  Â
“The lawlessness at the southern border has escalated into a crisis in the Midwest—including Indiana,†Attorney General Rokita said, debunking claims by politicians and certain media that Indiana is not affected by Biden’s open border policies. “Hoosier communities are overwhelmed by cartel-driven human trafficking and drug trafficking while fentanyl overdoses skyrocket. Because of ‘do nothing’ politicians here and in Washington, every state is now a border state—especially Indiana, the Crossroads of America. I refuse to allow Hoosiers’ liberties and security to be eroded by illegal aliens and those who want to stick their heads in the sand pretending we aren’t affected.â€Â
In contrast to previous multi-state legal actions Indiana has joined to combat illegal immigration, Indiana filed this lawsuit based upon the damages unique to the Hoosier state. Â
According to the Migrant Policy Institute, Indiana plays host to over 100,000 illegal aliens as residents. This perverted form of woke ‘Hoosier hospitality’ costs Indiana taxpayers more than $549 million annually.  Â
Attorney General Rokita witnessed the dangerous effects of the Biden Administration’s open-door policies firsthand on three separate trips to the U.S.- Mexico border. This action comes on the heels of his most recent trip where he met with a bipartisan group of attorneys general from the U.S. and Mexico to discuss, among several items, the Left’s complacent policies, which incentivize illegal immigration and increase crime. Â
This lawsuit is not Attorney General Rokita’s only legal challenge regarding illegal immigration. He sued the Biden administration over the new federal rule that makes it easier for aliens to obtain asylum in the United States on false premises. Attorney General Rokita is also fighting to stop expanding the availability of welfare assistance to non-citizens by redefining the way the federal government applies “the public charge ground of inadmissibility†in a multistate comment to proposed rule changes. Â
“After extensive research and my visits to the border, it’s clear that the lawlessness at the border has a significant, negative impact to Hoosiers,†Attorney General Rokita said. “Biden’s open border policy welcomes drug trafficking and human trafficking at a cost of millions annually to Hoosier taxpayers.â€Â Â
FOOTNOTE:   The Complaint about Declaratory and Injunctive Relief is attached.