NEWS from the ACLU of Indiana

1031 E. Washington Street

Indianapolis, IN 46202
www.aclu-in.org 317-635-4059

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Mon., Nov. 23, 2015
Contact: Kelly Jones Sharp
Director of Communications & Education
Office: 317-635-4059 Ext. 122; Mobile: 317-490-5310

ACLU Lawsuit against Indiana Governor Seeks Relief for

Syrian Refugees
Indianapolis The American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana and ACLU national, on behalf of Exodus Refugee
Immigration, filed suit today against Governor Mike Pence and the secretary of the Indiana Family and Social
Services Administration to stop attempts by the governor to suspend resettlement of Syrian refugees, claiming
the governors actions violate the United States Constitution and federal law.
There is no border around the state of Indiana that prevents people from entering our state who may move
freely within the United States, said ACLU of Indiana legal director Ken Falk. Decisions concerning immigration
and refugee resettlement are exclusively the province of the federal government, and attempts to pre-empt
that authority violate both equal protection and civil rights laws and intrude on authority that is exclusively
federal.
The lawsuit, brought on behalf of Exodus Refugee Immigration, Inc., seeks an injunction to stop the governor
from taking any actions to suspend, block or withhold aid from refugees or from Exodus. Exodus is a nonprofit
corporation that receives federal money through the states Office of Refugee Programs, located within the
Family and Social Services Administration, to assist in resettlement of federally approved and screened refugees.
The funds are used to assist with employment training, English language education and other services.
Exodus has settled 892 refugees, including some from Syria, in the past fiscal year, and is projected to settle
approximately that number in 2016, including 19 Syrians approved for refugee status by the federal government
that have been placed with Exodus and who are expected to arrive in Indiana in the next few weeks or months.
"The actions taken by Governor Pence to block Syrian refugees from entering the State of Indiana are not in line
with Hoosier or American values, said Carleen F. Miller, Exodus Refugee Immigration Inc. executive director.
Indiana is a welcoming state known for our hospitality. History will judge us in this moment whether we take
the moral stand for victims of war and persecution in their time of need or reject our core principles by giving in
to fear and terror."
We urge the governor to affirm the American value of protecting refugees who seek sanctuary from the
brutality of terrorism, said Jane Henegar, ACLU of Indiana executive director. These refugees are fleeing
violence and oppression and should not be blamed for the very terror they are fleeing.
This lawsuit is calling out Governor Pence on his unconstitutional bluff, said Judy Rabinovitz, deputy legal
director of ACLUs immigrants rights project. He does not have the power to pick and choose between which
lawfully admitted refugees he is willing to accept. Singling out Syrian refugees for exclusion from Indiana is not
only ethically wrong, it is unconstitutional. Period.
The case, Exodus Refugee Immigration, Inc. v. Mike Pence, et al., Case 1:15-cv- 1:15-cv-01858-TWP-DKL was
filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, Indianapolis Division, on November 23, 2015.
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