Latest news with #Beckwith
Chicago Tribune
5 days ago
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Beckwith supports redistricting, immigration crackdown at Merrillville Q&A
Indiana Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith repeatedly addressed redistricting, immigration and education funding during a packed town hall session Tuesday night at the Marine Corps League. President Donald Trump is urging Republican states to redistrict again to make it easier for Republicans keep their majorities in the U.S. House and Senate during the midterm elections next year, which led Texas Democrats to flee the state to Illinois on Aug. 3. They've mulled returning after the first special session ends, but Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said he will keep calling special sessions until the redistricting is passed. Vice President JD Vance met with Indiana Gov. Mike Braun and Republican state legislative leaders last week to urge them to call a special session to redraw the maps, which already favor Republicans 7-2. Beckwith said drawing districts to favor one party over the other began in Democratic-leaning states. 'I'm telling you right now they started it, and we're punching back,' he said. 'It's competition on a national level. 'We've got to compete with California' and other Democratic states, Beckwith said. One of the participants pointed out that 40% of Hoosier voters favored Democrats in the last general election, so 40% of Indiana's congressional delegation would be Democrats if districts were drawn fairly. '22% is a materially different from 40%,' a participant noted. In Lake County, 56% of voters voted Democratic. How does redistricting help local voters, the participant asked. If you don't like it, tell the Indiana legislators who will make those decisions, Beckwith said. 'My position is that Republican principles are better for everybody,' he said. When a participant suggested fair rules for redistricting nationally, Beckwith responded, 'I'm all ears.' 'I'm encouraging a commission on fair redistricting nationally,' he said. Until then, however, 'we need to do it because the other states are doing it,' he said. 'Let's make sure we're not counting people unless they're here as citizens,' he added. The U.S. Census Bureau counts the entire U.S. population every ten years, according to which is based on Article I, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution and the 14th Amendment that mandates 'counting the whole number of persons in each State.' Beckwith was peppered with questions about immigration. 'We need to stop illegal crossings,' he said, thanking Trump for his immigration crackdown. Coming to the United States illegally is cutting in front of the line, he said, assured that everyone in the room would agree with him. 'Now we have people dragged out of their homes, schools, hospitals,' a participant noted. 'They're people in asylum from violence, poverty.' 'Everybody deserves due process because we believe in natural laws as well as constitutional laws,' Beckwith said. The Declaration of Independence refers to the God-given rights to 'life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,' he noted. Beckwith's answer bore a marked contrast with comments he made earlier this month at a town hall meeting in Terre Haute, where he said ICE detainees don't have the right to see a judge and compared the situation to the United States' response after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in World War II, when U.S. citizens and residents of Japanese descent were forcibly placed in internment camps. Several immigration attorneys criticized his comments as false and inflammatory in multiple media outlets. Then Beckwith said, 'We have been invaded over the last 4.5 years' under the Biden administration. 'We do not have the resources to have people wait in courts.' If people picked up by ICE can't produce an ID, they have to go back to their home country, Beckwith said. Multiple news reports have said the Trump administration is deporting people to countries they didn't come from, sometimes on a different continent, where the deported immigrants might not even know the language. 'I don't want to be a nation of lawlessness,' he said. Turning to state issues, one of the participants Tuesday said, 'I feel as though the supermajority (in Indiana government) is basically a communist approach.' 'I've never been called a communist. That's a new one,' Beckwith said. 'I'm not a huge fan of the supermajority in Indiana,' he said. 'We have gotten weak on Republican principles.' He said he favors more competition, he said, but took a shot at Democrats. 'You've got to bring better ideas to the ballot box,' he said. Pursuing social issues like LGBTQ+ rights is hurting Democrats, he said. 'Stop doubling down on stupid social progressive ideals.' 'This is why you're losing, Democrats, because you don't even know the basics of biology.' Beckwith has a history of attacking the LGBTQ+ community. In June, he made a Facebook post attacking Pride Month, titled 'The Rainbow Beast Is Coming For Your Kids!,' in which he called libraries 'drag indoctrination centers.' In August, he shared a post from an Indianapolis church where a speaker called for the execution of gay people, but said it was shared by his communications team and took it down amid an uproar. Earlier in the town hall meeting, Beckwith said, 'I think the Democrats do a much better job than the Republicans do' at communicating ideas. Multiple questions dealt with education funding. 'We have just gutted the public school system' with property tax refunds and vouchers for private schools, a participant said. Out of Indiana's $45 billion budget, $22 billion, or 47%, goes to education, Beckwith said. Even if a voucher is used to transfer a family's children from public schools, the school district still gets 20% of the state funding, Beckwith said. 'Inner cities benefit and use the vouchers more than any other demographic,' he said. 'We're spending a lot of money but in the wrong places,' he said. 'I see natatoriums being built.' 'That nice, shiny object' doesn't affect concerns like teacher pay, he said. 'I do feel we adequately fund them. It just doesn't go to the right places,' Beckwith said. Another participant noted that the Indiana University Board of Trustees no longer is elected. In June, Braun removed the three trustees voted on by IU alumni following last-minute language slipped into the state budget bill by legislators giving the governor full control of the board's makeup. 'IU has been a woke indoctrination center,' Beckwith said. IU chose to 'indoctrinate, not educate,' he said. Beckwith was a guest lecturer on political science at IU, he said. 'They were far below where they should have been.' Other questions dealt with a legal challenge to gay marriage and the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade. 'I support a civil union,' he said. 'We did not create marriage. We have no business redefining it. God created marriage,' Beckwith said. On abortion issues, Beckwith said he would support saving the mother's life. 'That's not abortion. It's triage,' he said. 'Sometimes the world throws really crappy situations at us, and we have to respond appropriately,' Beckwith said. With rape, 'I want there to be justice,' he said. 'I will carve out one exception to my principles for that.' A rapist should be tried for first degree murder if an abortion occurs following a rape, Beckwith said. 'I want justice for people who do wicked things.' On rising utility costs, Beckwith reiterated his support for electing members of the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission and said he supports getting rid of the sales tax on utility bills. 'I will take arrows from the Republican Party all day long on this issue,' he said. 'They just keep raising taxes,' he said of fellow Republicans. 'I believe we dropped the ball there as Republicans.' Beckwith praised Lake County Councilman Randy Niemeyer. 'He is working hard to bring government efficiency back into local government' in Lake County. Beckwith's proposal was voted down Tuesday by the County Council. Since being elected lieutenant governor, Beckwith has visited Lake County more than others, he said. 'I think you have the potential to be one of the most awesome places in Indiana,'' he said. He singled out Gary's potential, including its airport. 'You've got good people up here. You have good work ethics,' Beckwith said.
Indianapolis Star
08-08-2025
- Politics
- Indianapolis Star
Do ICE detainees have a right to due process? Micah Beckwith's immigration comments go viral
Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith said in a now-viral town hall recording this week that ICE detainees at Camp Atterbury do not have a right to due process or to see a judge, and drew a comparison to the United States' response to the bombing of Pearl Harbor in World War II. Immigration attorneys say this is patently false and an alarming comparison to make. "He's so absolutely wrong," said Buck Shomo, a longtime immigration attorney in central Indiana. At the town hall in Vigo County on Aug. 4, an attendee asked whether state leaders would make sure immigrant detainees at Camp Atterbury see due process. "So due process in this situation is, are you here legally?" Beckwith, a Republican, responded. When pressed about the opportunity to come before a judge, Beckwith added, "They don't have a right to see a judge." He then asked, "When the Japanese were bombing Pearl Harbor, did we give them due process?" During that time, Japanese citizens and non-citizens were forcibly taken to internment camps in a move that later presidencies officially declared unjust. President Ronald Reagan signed a law giving reparations to former detainees. Beckwith doubled down on his comments when reached by IndyStar on Aug. 8, reiterating that "constitutional rights don't apply to people who are here illegally." But Beckwith said noncitizens should still be treated with "dignity and respect" "I'm not saying be undignified or treat them with a lack of respect," he said. "But there's a big difference between giving somebody a day in court, paying for a lawyer for them by the people and their tax dollars." The U.S. Constitution grants due-process rights to all "persons" on American soil. There are some circumstances where noncitizens may not see a judge, immigration attorney Sarah Burrow said. For example, if a person had received a removal order in the past and then re-enters unlawfully, ICE can reinstate that removal order without the need for another hearing. There's also a process known as expedited removals. This used to be for people who are found within a certain mile-range of the border and who had only very recently crossed unlawfully. The Trump administration has expanded the application of expedited removals to longer time periods and to any location in the United States, but even so, people placed in this category have the right to request asylum. Outside of those exceptions, removal proceedings must include a hearing, she said. "(Beckwith) is making very clear that he believes if you enter this country unlawfully, then you have no right to due process, and that is patently false," she said. "This is sensationalism, it is playing to the base, it's legally incorrect." Making the comparison to the treatment of the Japanese during World War II is like "saying the quiet part out loud," she said. "So are they ICE detention facilities or are they internment camps? That would be my question," she said. In referencing the Japanese, Beckwith said a reason they didn't get due process is that they invaded the country. To Shomo, this comparison also further demonizes immigrants and seems like a "dog whistle." "To characterize this as an invasion is a cynical way to play on racial fears," he said.
Indianapolis Star
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Indianapolis Star
Mike Braun is failing Indiana, yet wants to be president
Mike Braun hated being a U.S. senator and left after one failed term. Now, he's not quite six months into a failing term as Indiana governor, and he's already looking for his next job. Politico's Adam Wren reports Braun is discussing a run for president in 2028, the strongest signal yet that he is as delusional as he is inept. Here's Braun's record as governor so far: He over-promised a massive property tax cut and couldn't deliver. It won't get better from here. The economy is worsening, which means Braun is likely to oversee an era of increasingly draconian budget cuts, rising unemployment and accelerated decline in rural areas. That is not the stuff of presidential campaigns. Put aside Braun's botched first legislative session. Presidents need to be good at politics. Braun is bad at politics. Braun didn't have the political acumen to stop Micah Beckwith's lieutenant governor nomination last year, but he thinks he can navigate a presidential primary? Does he know that other people will be running? Briggs: Jim Banks would let Trump commit any crime you can imagine Braun's fiasco at last year's Indiana Republican Party convention saddled him with a lieutenant governor who overshadows him at every turn and is openly opposing him. Remember, President Trump actually endorsed Braun's preferred running mate, state Rep. Julie McGuire, and it didn't matter. Beckwith won anyway because Indiana's populist right views Beckwith as authentic and Braun and his team as MAGA cosplayers. Beckwith's outsized presence has forced Braun into errors, such as making the ill-advised property tax promise and then doubling down on it at a Beckwith-headlined rally where Braun was the third wheel. Braun lacks principles and objectives, so he operates as a copycat politician. But he doesn't actually understand why figures such as Trump or Beckwith are successful, so he offers awkward imitations and looks pathetic. Yes, Braun has won big elections. He ran an exceptional campaign for U.S. Senate in 2018 and then lucked his way through an overcrowded and underwhelming GOP primary field for governor last year before winning in November. Despite all that winning, he doesn't have a single substantive achievement to serve as a foundation for a presidential run. He doesn't even have a lame culture war win. Braun is a sad man in a blue shirt who can't appreciate any of his business or electoral success because he's always looking for the next big, powerful job to give his life meaning. There is no national demand for someone like this to run for president. Braun is not going to be president. What's worse, Braun also won't be much of a governor. Who do you know who excels at a job they don't want? Braun is bored with being governor, just like he got bored early in his Senate term. We're stuck for three and a half years with someone who pursued the governor's office for a dopamine rush and now would prefer to be elsewhere. Briggs: Diego Morales is rubbing our faces in his corruption. Impeach him now. Braun checking out on Indiana was entirely predictable. Why did he want to be a senator? Why did he want to be governor? Why does he want to be president? I'm genuinely asking. As far as I can tell, Braun has no theory of government external to his own ambitions. He runs for office for the sake of running for office. Unlike when Braun was a non-factor in the Senate, Hoosiers will notice him checking out now. Braun is not even a sure thing to win a second term as governor, should he decide to run, much less a top-tier contender for the presidency. The only thing ahead for Braun, 71, is retirement. He can either come up with something productive to do and try to leave a lasting impact on Indiana, or keep doing TV hits and signing inconsequential executive orders to look busy. Either way, his presidential ambition is a fantasy. The most pitiful thing about Braun is he'll be the last person to figure that out. Contact James Briggs at 317-444-4732 or Follow him on X and Bluesky at @JamesEBriggs.
Indianapolis Star
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Indianapolis Star
Mike Braun is failing Indiana, yet wants to be president
Mike Braun hated being a U.S. senator and left after one failed term. Now, he's not quite six months into a failing term as Indiana governor, and he's already looking for his next job. Politico's Adam Wren reports Braun is discussing a run for president in 2028, the strongest signal yet that he is as delusional as he is inept. Here's Braun's record as governor so far: He over-promised a massive property tax cut and couldn't deliver. It won't get better from here. The economy is worsening, which means Braun is likely to oversee an era of increasingly draconian budget cuts, rising unemployment and accelerated decline in rural areas. That is not the stuff of presidential campaigns. Put aside Braun's botched first legislative session. Presidents need to be good at politics. Braun is bad at politics. Braun didn't have the political acumen to stop Micah Beckwith's lieutenant governor nomination last year, but he thinks he can navigate a presidential primary? Does he know that other people will be running? Briggs: Jim Banks would let Trump commit any crime you can imagine Braun's fiasco at last year's Indiana Republican Party convention saddled him with a lieutenant governor who overshadows him at every turn and is openly opposing him. Remember, President Trump actually endorsed Braun's preferred running mate, state Rep. Julie McGuire, and it didn't matter. Beckwith won anyway because Indiana's populist right views Beckwith as authentic and Braun and his team as MAGA cosplayers. Beckwith's outsized presence has forced Braun into errors, such as making the ill-advised property tax promise and then doubling down on it at a Beckwith-headlined rally where Braun was the third wheel. Braun lacks principles and objectives, so he operates as a copycat politician. But he doesn't actually understand why figures such as Trump or Beckwith are successful, so he offers awkward imitations and looks pathetic. Yes, Braun has won big elections. He ran an exceptional campaign for U.S. Senate in 2018 and then lucked his way through an overcrowded and underwhelming GOP primary field for governor last year before winning in November. Despite all that winning, he doesn't have a single substantive achievement to serve as a foundation for a presidential run. He doesn't even have a lame culture war win. Braun is a sad man in a blue shirt who can't appreciate any of his business or electoral success because he's always looking for the next big, powerful job to give his life meaning. There is no national demand for someone like this to run for president. Braun is not going to be president. What's worse, Braun also won't be much of a governor. Who do you know who excels at a job they don't want? Braun is bored with being governor, just like he got bored early in his Senate term. We're stuck for three and a half years with someone who pursued the governor's office for a dopamine rush and now would prefer to be elsewhere. Briggs: Diego Morales is rubbing our faces in his corruption. Impeach him now. Braun checking out on Indiana was entirely predictable. Why did he want to be a senator? Why did he want to be governor? Why does he want to be president? I'm genuinely asking. As far as I can tell, Braun has no theory of government external to his own ambitions. He runs for office for the sake of running for office. Unlike when Braun was a non-factor in the Senate, Hoosiers will notice him checking out now. Braun is not even a sure thing to win a second term as governor, should he decide to run, much less a top-tier contender for the presidency. The only thing ahead for Braun, 71, is retirement. He can either come up with something productive to do and try to leave a lasting impact on Indiana, or keep doing TV hits and signing inconsequential executive orders to look busy. Either way, his presidential ambition is a fantasy. The most pitiful thing about Braun is he'll be the last person to figure that out.
Indianapolis Star
03-06-2025
- Politics
- Indianapolis Star
Micah Beckwith's Christian nationalism is wrong for Indiana
I had the privilege of spending an hour and a half in a room with Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith, along with a couple dozen other Christian pastors. He is charming and, as far as I can tell, sincere. He is also dead wrong for Indiana. Beckwith's Christian nationalist theology is being used as an excuse to rob the people of a safety net. When I brought the safety net problem up to Beckwith, he painted a portrait of a future Indiana where the people are all well-fed and happy, because everyone who has means pitches in, generously donating to charity. This is not based in reality — even church people only give 3-4% of their income, on average. While we're at it, why not insist that churches fund and administer Medicaid, the Indiana Veterans' Home and the Department of Child Services? Perhaps youth groups could be in charge of highway repairs during the summer months? Briggs: Micah Beckwith and his Indiana DOGE bros are livin' large Also, have you noticed that not everyone goes to church? Whether Beckwith realizes it or not, he and his fellow Christian nationalists are setting up laws and preaching rhetoric that divides our middle class, ultimately setting up a two-tiered economy where White Christians of a certain variety are preferred over other citizens. In education, government and in courts of law, a so-called Christian Indiana will no longer be a place of liberty and justice for all. Let me offer an alternative. I am a Red Letter Christian, which means I start with the teachings of Jesus — sometimes printed in red — and go from there. The real litmus test of any administration's policy is the question, 'What Would Jesus Do?' Jesus began his ministry in a radical way, by proclaiming that he 'came to bring good news to the poor, proclaim release to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, and to let the oppressed go free' (Luke 4:18). This is God's economics, and what is truly right for our great state.
