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Indianapolis Star
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Indianapolis Star
These Indiana agencies are officially partnering with ICE to enforce immigration law
Since President Donald Trump's inauguration, four Indiana law enforcement agencies have signed up to participate in the federal government's 287(g) Program, which allows their officers to enforce certain immigration law. The program allows local law enforcement to partner with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, granting trained deputies the right to enforce immigration laws within their jurisdiction. It prioritizes the arrest and detention of people in the country illegally who are accused or convicted of crimes. ICE offers law enforcement agencies three models for enforcing immigration law: Earlier this year, the Indiana General Assembly attempted to approve legislation that would have allowed Indiana's Department of Homeland Security to disburse grants to law enforcement agencies seeking to participate in the 287(g) program. The funds would help pay salaries and overtime for officers who go through the training, while federal funds would pay for the training and equipment costs. Both pieces of legislation, Senate Bill 430 and House Bill 1158, ultimately failed to be approved by the Indiana General Assembly. Here's a list of the four Indiana law enforcement agencies that have signed up for the government's 287(g) program as of May 12, 2025, according to data from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement website. On April 10, 2025, the Greens Fork Police Department, which serves a small rural town in eastern Indiana, signed up to participate in ICE's Task Force Model. It's the only municipality law enforcement agency in the state to sign up for the federal government's 287(g) program. The town of Greens Fork has a total population of 335, according to the 2020 U.S. Census Bureau data, the most recent available for the town. Out of the 335 people living in the city, four people were identified as Hispanic or Latino, and all foreign-born people living in the city were considered naturalized citizens, according to the U.S. Census Bureau data. Population breakdown, according to the 2020 U.S. Census Bureau data: The Greens Fork Police Department is the only law enforcement agency in Wayne County that has signed up to join the federal government's 287(g) program. At the beginning of the year, the Wayne County Sheriff's Office announced it was in compliance with all of ICE's requests and is following all protocols after the Center for Immigration Studies, an independent, nonpartisan, and non-profit research organization, mistakenly labeled it a sanctuary county. The county has since rectified the issue. On March 26, 2025, the Noble County Sheriff's Office, which serves a rural county northeast of Fort Wayne, signed up to participate in ICE's Warrant Service Officer Model. Noble County Sheriff Max Weber told local media in March that the county had already been working with ICE. Noble County Jail Commander Jenny Cummins shared that the county books at least one non-citizen into jail at least once a week. The county is estimated to serve 47,417 people, according to the 2023 U.S. Census Bureau Data. Population breakdown, according to the 2023 U.S. Census Bureau data: On March 17, 2025, the Jasper County Sheriff's Office, which serves a rural county an hour south of Gary, Indiana, signed up to participate in ICE's Warrant Service Officer Model. The county is estimated to serve 33,198 people, according to the 2023 U.S. Census Bureau. Population breakdown, according to the 2023 U.S. Census Bureau data: On March 3, 2025, the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office, which serves the county north of Indianapolis, signed up to participate in ICE's Jail Enforcement Model. The Hamilton County Sheriff's Office made headlines earlier this year when it became the first Indiana county to sign up for to be part of the 287g program. "By strengthening our partnership with ICE and other federal agencies, we will address criminal activities linked to illegal immigration," Chief Deputy John Lowes, who will oversee the initiative, said in a news release. The county is estimated to serve 371,645 people, according to the 2023 U.S. Census Bureau. Population breakdown, according to the 2023 U.S. Census Bureau data:
Axios
28-01-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Indiana Gov. Braun pledges support for Trump's immigration policy
Indiana Gov. Mike Braun has directed state law enforcement agencies to "fully cooperate" with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and is encouraging local agencies to do the same. Why it matters: Just one week into his new administration, President Trump's campaign pledge to oversee mass deportations of immigrants is taking shape, with ICE arresting more than 3,500 individuals. The big picture: Braun's pledge Tuesday to cooperate with Trump's immigration policy came several days after Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department chief Chris Bailey said the department would not participate in ICE raids and Indianapolis Public Schools said it would not allow ICE officers on school grounds without a warrant. "Local law enforcement … does not have the authority to enforce federal immigration laws," Bailey said in a statement posted to X. State of play: Braun said his focus is on "the most egregious examples" of people in the state illegally who have committed crimes while here. "Indiana is going to be a state that is going to help get people that came in here illegally and then committed crimes and are dangerous back out of the country," he told reporters Tuesday. When asked if he supports going into schools and churches to look for people in the country unlawfully, he said, "No, because I'm not getting any directive from the federal government on that." Yes, but: Indiana law already requires law enforcement officers to cooperate with ICE. Braun said that "in the few places that may not be abiding by the spirit of [the law], we're going to make sure they do." If communities continue to fail to cooperate with ICE, Braun said, he expects state Attorney General Todd Rokita to get involved. Rokita has already sued two counties for allegedly not cooperating with federal immigration law. Reality check: Less than 1% of immigrants deported last fiscal year were kicked out of the U.S. for crimes other than immigration violations. Zoom out: Indiana is more than 1,000 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border, but immigration was a major campaign issue for Braun. He said Tuesday that he would extend former Gov. Eric Holcomb's order deploying the Indiana National Guard at the southern border. What we're watching: Also on Tuesday, state lawmakers considered a bill that would require county sheriffs to partner with ICE in their jails. House Bill 1158 would require sheriffs to participate in ICE's 287(g) program, which trains officers and then allows them to perform certain functions of immigration enforcement within their jails. Though the program has existed for three decades and Indiana counties have always had the option to participate, Hamilton County became the first to opt in this year. What they're saying: Robert Goldsmith, Tippecanoe County sheriff and president of the Indiana Sheriff's Association, said his community is already so nervous about a possible change in immigration policy enforcement that they're considering canceling their annual Latino Festival. "I don't see a reason to mandate a sheriff and tell them what they're going to do in the community they serve," Goldsmith told lawmakers during a Tuesday-morning hearing. "We have to answer to our citizens." What's next: The House Local Government Committee did not vote on HB 1158 as lawmakers wait for state fiscal analysts to provide a better understanding of the costs it may have.
