She says any prejudice against Mexican immigrants is similar to that against turn-of-the-century immigrants.

“The prejudice that you find against immigrants today is not that different than the prejudice you found in the 19th century,” she said. “The perception of immigrants coming in is that they were not white. Even Irish people weren’t white and neither were Italians.”

The Herald Bulletin made several attempts to speak with other members of the local Hispanic community, including people without citizenship. At least five Hispanics refused requests for interviews. They didn’t give specific reasons why they wouldn’t talk. But it was clear from their reactions that they feared deportation — or mere association with the issue of illegal immigration.

According to a 2006 estimate by the U.S. Census Bureau, 299,398 Hispanics live in Indiana, comprising 4.7 percent of the population. That’s up from 214,536 Hispanic citizens (3.5 percent of the population) counted in the 2000 Census.

Locally, the 2006 census estimate counted Madison County’s general population at 130,575 including 2,870 Hispanics — 2.2 percent of the population, up from 1.5 percent in 2000.

Though some believe anti-immigration sentiment is directed at Hispanics, Delph argues that he is against a practice, not a people. “We’ve got illegal immigrants from all over the world, not just Mexico. We have them from Africa and Western Europe. It doesn’t matter where you’re from. If you’re here illegally, you shouldn’t be here.”

Delph maintains that his bill was based on illegal activity, not racism or prejudice against Hispanics, despite the fact that some legislators alleged that the bill was racially motivated.

“This was not an immigration bill,” Delph said. “We are a nation of immigrants; we’re the great melting pot. This bill dealt with when people break the law.”

Lanane says he opposed the legislation because it threatened to expose legal Hispanic citizens to undue discrimination.

“I did think there was an issue of racial profiling that would occur,” Lanane said. “I wasn’t sure how the bill would work without people saying there were illegal immigrants in a business based on the way people looked.

“They’re the most recent wave of new people in our society, and there’s always some suspicion of anything new, in particular when it’s people exhibiting a new appearance and culture.”

Lanane agrees that discrimination and immigration have been traditionally linked.

“My forefathers came over here from Ireland and spoke with a brogue (accent) and looked a little bit different and were of a religion that was not mainstream,” Lanane said. “They felt discrimination.”

‘It’s a wage issue, not a race issue’