Conservative group Judicial Watch sues South Bend over immigrant ID card records
SOUTH BEND — A conservative Washington-based group has sued the Mayor Pete Buttigieg administration and South Bend Common Council, alleging the city has violated Indiana’s public records law by refusing to disclose staff emails related to a program that provides identification cards to undocumented immigrants.
The suit, filed this week in St. Joseph Circuit Court by Judicial Watch, details four denied records requests that the organization filed with the city. The requests sought emails exchanged between various city officials and La Casa de Amistad, the nonprofit Latino advocacy group that issues the cards.
La Casa in December 2016 began issuing the community resident card, branded as “SB ID,” to undocumented immigrants to help them conduct routine daily activities, such as picking up children from school or day care, providing identification to police, obtaining college transcripts, library cards and prescriptions, and clearing background checks needed to volunteer at schools.
More than two years later, 2,153 people have the South Bend card, and 1,035 people carry a Goshen ID card, also issued by La Casa, said Sam Centellas, La Casa’s executive director.
Read more: https://www.southbendtribune.com/news/politics/conservative-group-judicial-watch-sues-south-bend-over-immigrant-id/article_a80a5262-ec06-5a5d-a243-b61d14d704dd.html