http://www.wsbt.com/news/local/5270591.html
Proposed State Law Could Ban Businesses From Hiring Illegal Workers

by Nora Gathings (hsgathings@wsbt.com)

(WSBT) Finding a job may become the impossible dream for illegal immigrants in Indiana.

A proposed bill would ban businesses from hiring them. The representatives behind the bill believe illegal immigrants are taking jobs citizens could have.

But members of the Hispanic community say that's not true. They say they're taking the jobs no one else wants. Rosy Hinojo grew up in Mexico and always dreamed of owning a home.

"I can see my family, how hard they work to get money, build a house," she told WSBT News.

Sixteen years ago, Hinojo moved to the U.S., but finding a job stood in the way of her dream.

"They check to make sure your social security number matches your name, so if you like a good job, you have to have citizenship," she said.

Hinoko found jobs cleaning and babysitting. Eight years later, she became a U.S. citizen, and jobs were easier to find.

A proposed state law would ban businesses from hiring illegal immigrants.

"These workers are taking jobs Hoosiers would do in most cases," says Representative Vern Tincher, (D, Riley) who introduced the bill.

But Hinojo says picking fruit and working in factories are jobs Americans don't want.

"If Americans don't like it, we take it," she told WSBT News. "We don't have a choice."

But legislators say the illegal immigrant population in Indiana has grown from 20,000 to 85,000 in five years. They say it's a drain on the economy.

"The taxes they pay is exceeded by the medical and education [expenses]," says Rep. Riley.

Hinojo says the bill won't scare immigrants because this is an immigrant country.

"I don't know what they are going to be, but one way or another they are going to do something," says Hinojo.

Some local business owners believe the bill is targeting larger businesses. They say they're not worried about a crackdown because the government already looks the other way during inspections. They say tougher laws won't keep them from hiring illegal workers. They say they can't find legal workers willing to do the job.

But if they knowingly hire illegal workers, they could lose their tax incentives under the proposed law.