
Marchers in support of immigration reform walk the streets of Indianapolis, Tuesday, May 1, 2007. Marches and rallies took place in dozens of cities across the United States. (AP)
The Indiana State Attorney’s Office says it will not appeal an injunction that temporarily blocks enforcement of the state’s new immigration law.
Instead, the state’s attorney general said he would devote his resources to fighting a lawsuit that seeks to throw out the law.
“Hoosiers' frustration with the federal government's inability to enact and enforce immigration policies prompted the Legislature to turn the wheels of state government to respond to this issue,” said Indiana Attorney General Zoeller. “And I remain committed to defending legislative enactments against outside challenges."
Indiana was one of a number of states, including Georgia, Arizona and Alabama, that passed stringent immigration laws that are now being challenged in federal court.
Last month, federal judge Sarah Evans Barker had put parts of the law on hold – including one that allowed police to check the immigration status of anyone detained for minor infractions, including a traffic stop, if they believed the person was in the country illegally.
- Immigration Advocates Protest Proposed New Jersey Detention Center
- Faces of the Immigrant Archive Project
- U.S. Children of Deportees Plead for a Change to the Immigration System
- ACLU Sues to Block Indiana Immigration Law
- Judge Blocks Parts of Indiana’s Arizona-Style Immigration Law
- Convention Groups Threaten to Boycott Indiana over Immigration Bills
By not appealing the temporary injunction, Indiana cannot continue enforcing certain provisions of the immigration law while civil rights groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana and the National Immigration Law Center, are trying to permanently block enforcement of the law.
Barker ruled that parts of the law allowing police to arrest immigrants who hadn't committed a crime and restricting the use of identification provided by foreign consulates treaded on the federal government's power to regulate immigration.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Follow us on twitter.com/foxnewslatino
Like us at facebook.com/foxnewslatino