Latest news with #IndianaNationalGuard
Indianapolis Star
3 days ago
- Politics
- Indianapolis Star
Feds could eye Indiana's Camp Atterbury as potential site for ICE detainees amid capacity strain
Federal officials could be eying Indiana's Camp Atterbury as a temporary holding site for immigrant detainees as nationwide deportation efforts continue — and detention demands grow. While no official decision has been announced, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed to the Indiana Capital Chronicle on Thursday that the agency is actively 'exploring all options' to meet current and future detention needs. The statement comes amid a push by President Donald Trump's administration to stage the 'largest deportation operation in American history,' vowing to deport millions of people. 'U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's enhanced enforcement operations and routine daily operations have resulted in a significant number of arrests of criminal aliens that require greater detention capacity in Indiana,' the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in a statement. 'While we cannot confirm individual pre-decisional conversations, we can confirm that ICE is exploring all options to meet its current and future detention requirements.' So far, however, the Indiana National Guard 'has no tasking or request' from federal authorities, a spokesperson told the Capital Chronicle. The federally owned facility is licensed to and operated by the Indiana National Guard. It offers a variety of training ranges, live-fire venues, managed airspace with air-to-ground firing capabilities and an LVC simulation and exercise center. For now, DHS officials have declined to provide a timeline or identify specific sites under consideration. Camp Atterbury, located about 30 miles south of Indianapolis, has previously been used for large-scale federal operations. Most recently, in 2021, the facility temporarily housed thousands of Afghan refugees evacuated during the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan. During Operation Allies Welcome, the base accommodated over 7,000 Afghan evacuees in 82 lodging buildings across six neighborhoods, complete with dining facilities and medical centers. The infrastructure includes dorm-style housing for families and open bay barracks for individuals, all equipped with heating, air conditioning and plumbing. Camp Atterbury wouldn't be the first military or state-owned site proposed to be repurposed by federal officials for immigration-related operations. Most recently, Fort Bliss in Texas was identified as a potential deportation hub, with plans to hold thousands of detainees in massive tents on the Army base. The site could serve as the model for a dozen other holding facilities on military bases nationwide. A lack of detention space could be a reason for ICE to tap Camp Atterbury and other locations. The newest data released last week by DHS showed a drop in the number of immigrants in detention across the country for the first time since January — from 49,184 on May 4 to 48,870 on May 18 — but the shift could be due to existing detention facilities reaching capacity. Congress allocated funds for 41,500 detention beds this year, almost 20% fewer than the current number of detainees. It's unclear exactly how many people are currently being held in Indiana. Numbers can fluctuate daily as detainees are released or moved, so specific data is difficult to track. Recent reporting by Mirror Indy revealed at least 400 ICE detainees being held at the Marion County Jail in Indianapolis. And the federal government is paying Marion County $75 per day for each person held. As of March 17, the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University reflected an average daily population of eight detainees at the Marion County Jail; and an average of 238 detainees at the Clay County Jail in Brazil, which is operated by the Clay County Sheriff's Department and began housing ICE detainees in 2013 under contract with the federal government. Using Camp Atterbury instead of local jails could save the federal government money. There are an estimated 11 million immigrants who are not legally authorized to live in the United States, according to the Migration Policy Institute, an independent, nonpartisan think tank. A separate report released Thursday by the Center for Migration Studies found the nationwide population of people without permanent legal status to be closer to 12.2 million. Indiana's unauthorized immigrant population was estimated to be around 102,000 as of 2019. During the 2025 legislative session, state lawmakers passed multiple measures to boost immigration enforcement and ensure local compliance with federal directives. That included House Enrolled Act 1393, which requires local law enforcement to notify federal immigration authorities about undocumented immigrants in custody. After sharp debate, a separate and stricter immigration proposal failed to pass, though. House Bill 1531 would have required local law enforcement officers to comply with federal detainer requests for undocumented immigrants. The bill would have also banned employers from hiring unauthorized residents. Though the bill passed out of the House on a 64-26 vote, it never got a hearing in the Senate.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Feds could eye Indiana's Camp Atterbury as potential site for ICE detainees amid capacity strain
Photo by Sgt. Joshua Syberg/Indiana National Guard Federal officials could be eying Indiana's Camp Atterbury as a temporary holding site for immigrant detainees as nationwide deportation efforts continue — and detention demands grow. While no official decision has been announced, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed to the Indiana Capital Chronicle on Thursday that the agency is actively 'exploring all options' to meet current and future detention needs. The statement comes amid a push by President Donald Trump's administration to stage the 'largest deportation operation in American history,' vowing to deport millions of people. 'U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's enhanced enforcement operations and routine daily operations have resulted in a significant number of arrests of criminal aliens that require greater detention capacity in Indiana,' the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in a statement. 'While we cannot confirm individual pre-decisional conversations, we can confirm that ICE is exploring all options to meet its current and future detention requirements.' So far, however, the Indiana National Guard 'has no tasking or request' from federal authorities, a spokesperson told the Capital Chronicle. The federally owned facility is licensed to and operated by the Indiana National Guard. It offers a variety of training ranges, live-fire venues, managed airspace with air-to-ground firing capabilities and an LVC simulation and exercise center. For now, DHS officials have declined to provide a timeline or identify specific sites under consideration. Camp Atterbury, located about 30 miles south of Indianapolis, has previously been used for large-scale federal operations. Most recently, in 2021, the facility temporarily housed thousands of Afghan refugees evacuated during the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan. Feds to wind down certain Indiana naturalization ceremonies, block on-site voter registration During Operation Allies Welcome, the base accommodated over 7,000 Afghan evacuees in 82 lodging buildings across six neighborhoods, complete with dining facilities and medical centers. The infrastructure includes dorm-style housing for families and open bay barracks for individuals, all equipped with heating, air conditioning and plumbing. Camp Atterbury wouldn't be the first military or state-owned site proposed to be repurposed by federal officials for immigration-related operations. Most recently, Fort Bliss in Texas was identified as a potential deportation hub, with plans to hold thousands of detainees in massive tents on the Army base. The site could serve as the model for a dozen other holding facilities on military bases nationwide. A lack of detention space could be a reason for ICE to tap Camp Atterbury and other locations. The newest data released last week by DHS showed a drop in the number of immigrants in detention across the country for the first time since January — from 49,184 on May 4 to 48,870 on May 18 — but the shift could be due to existing detention facilities reaching capacity. Congress allocated funds for 41,500 detention beds this year, almost 20% fewer than the current number of detainees. It's unclear exactly how many people are currently being held in Indiana. Numbers can fluctuate daily as detainees are released or moved, so specific data is difficult to track. Recent reporting by Mirror Indy revealed at least 400 ICE detainees being held at the Marion County Jail in Indianapolis. And the federal government is paying Marion County $75 per day for each person held. As of March 17, the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University reflected an average daily population of eight detainees at the Marion County Jail; and an average of 238 detainees at the Clay County Jail in Brazil, which is operated by the Clay County Sheriff's Department and began housing ICE detainees in 2013 under contract with the federal government. CONTACT US Using Camp Atterbury instead of local jails could save the federal government money. There are an estimated 11 million immigrants who are not legally authorized to live in the United States, according to the Migration Policy Institute, an independent, nonpartisan think tank. A separate report released Thursday by the Center for Migration Studies found the nationwide population of people without permanent legal status to be closer to 12.2 million. Indiana's unauthorized immigrant population was estimated to be around 102,000 as of 2019. During the 2025 legislative session, state lawmakers passed multiple measures to boost immigration enforcement and ensure local compliance with federal directives. That included House Enrolled Act 1393, which requires local law enforcement to notify federal immigration authorities about undocumented immigrants in custody. After sharp debate, a separate and stricter immigration proposal failed to pass, though. House Bill 1531 would have required local law enforcement officers to comply with federal detainer requests for undocumented immigrants. The bill would have also banned employers from hiring unauthorized residents. Though the bill passed out of the House on a 64-26 vote, it never got a hearing in the Senate. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
7 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Remembering the cost of freedom
Members of the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment place flags at the headstones of U.S. military personnel buried at Arlington National Cemetery, in preparation for Memorial Day on May 22, 2025 in Arlington, Virginia. (Photo by) On September 11, 2001, I was 29 years old, deployed to Kuwait as an Army Aviator in the Indiana National Guard. I was flying a mission in a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter over northern Kuwait near the Iraq border when I learned that terrorists had attacked our homeland. I remember the flood of emotions that hit me — shock, sorrow, anger, and an overwhelming sense of resolve. In that moment, the mission became personal. The idea of service, which had always been central to my life, was no longer just about duty — it became about defending the people I loved, the nation I swore to protect, and the ideals that define us as Americans. As a soldier and an American, I am humbled by the memory of those we honor on Memorial Day. From the beaches of Normandy to the jungles of Vietnam, from the fields of Gettysburg to the deserts of Iraq, generations of selfless men and women have laid down their lives so that we may enjoy the blessings of freedom, security, and peace. Every headstone at Arlington National Cemetery, every name etched on a memorial wall, tells the unique sacrifice of a Soldier, Sailor, Airman, or Marine who gave everything in the service of something greater than themselves, and we will never forget them. The origins of Memorial Day trace back to the Civil War, a conflict so brutal it claimed more American lives than any war in our history. After the devastation brought about by that war, America committed to the idea of remembering and honoring our fallen. That brought about many of today's memorials, including the Soldiers and Sailors Monument in downtown Indianapolis. Over the nearly 250 years of our nation, what remains constant is the character of those who wear the uniform: courage, sacrifice, and a love of country that transcends self-interest. Whenever I am in Washington D.C., I find time to stop by the Lincoln Memorial and take a moment to reflect by reading the Gettysburg Address etched in the memorial wall. I always walk away humbled and with a renewed sense of purpose because of the words President Lincoln spoke that day. 'The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us, the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain.' As we approach this long weekend and the unofficial start of summer, let us remember the true meaning of Memorial Day — to honor the cost of freedom and remember those who paid it for us. This weekend is for the people who never made it home, whose lives were cut short in the pursuit of liberty. To my fellow service members, past and present, I say thank you. To the Gold Star families, know that your loved ones will never be forgotten — their sacrifice lives on in the heart of this nation. And to all Americans: may we honor the fallen not just today, but every day, through our commitment to the values they fought and died to protect. Honoring their names means more than offering gratitude. It means carrying forward the ideals they believed in — freedom, justice, and unity — and understanding that the fight to preserve them is never over. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Veterans gauge progress from legislative session
Soldiers line up for an annual veterans day parade. (Getty Images) With the 2025 budget session now in the rear-view mirror, Hoosier veterans are taking note not only of what passed and what didn't, but how it all unfolded. This session brought minimal progress for Indiana's veterans. Some long overdue improvements made it through, but far too many priorities were ignored, watered down, or outright rejected. One win was expanded life insurance for Indiana National Guard members. Lawmakers approved a long-overdue increase in coverage — from $8,000 to $20,000 — for those who die while serving on state active duty orders. The General Assembly also modernized charitable gaming. Veteran service organizations can now use electronic pull-tabs and apply revenues more flexibly. This modernization was decades in the making. Businesses assisting veterans with their benefits must now be accredited and required to inform veterans of the free services available to them. The Indiana Code now recognizes the U.S. Space Force, U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, and the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps — making their income exempt from state tax. These are meaningful steps, but they pale in comparison to the support veterans deserve and the issues left unaddressed. Despite its potential to save lives, especially for veterans with traumatic brain injuries and post-traumatic stress, the proposed hyperbaric oxygen therapy program failed to advance. And there is still no restoration of tuition remission for children of disabled veterans, a benefit stripped away in 2011 and not returned. Once again, Indiana's reserve forces were left behind, with no state-funded education support. We stopped a House attempt to raid the Veterans Affairs Trust Fund of $1.25 Million annually for a state program only to see the Senate reinsert the same provision. The Military Family Relief Fund, funded by Hoosiers to support veterans in need, is being quietly siphoned off to fund state agency advertising. Up to 10% of the fund is taken each year, despite the agency already having a communications staff and outside marketing firm on payroll. That same agency also blocked a bill that would have allowed disabled veterans to access hyperbaric oxygen therapy through the fund. Veterans were denied critical care and a bureaucracy won out. That's not supporting veterans, that's exploiting them. In 1975, Indiana honored disabled veterans with a property tax deduction of $24,950—when the average home cost just $39,000. An additional $14,000 was granted for the totally disabled. Many paid little to no property taxes as a result. It was a tangible, targeted acknowledgment of their sacrifice. CONTACT US Fast forward to 2025: In an attempt to address broader property tax issues, the General Assembly proposed folding veterans into a general tax credit system. Under the original plan: all homeowners would get a $300 credit and disabled veterans would receive an additional $250. Those over 62 or totally disabled would get another $150. However, those over 62 and totally disabled would be excluded from the senior credit entirely. This was not a continuation of the original benefit, it was a replacement that undermined it. Veterans spoke out. The Indiana American Legion issued a call to action. The Military Veterans Coalition of Indiana mobilized. On the final day of session, lawmakers reversed course and reinstated the original property tax deduction for disabled veterans. While that correction matters, it shouldn't be viewed as a win. It was a fix for a mistake that should never have been made and it still leaves the deduction unchanged from 50 years ago. No adjustment for inflation. No reflection of today's housing market. Just the bare minimum to maintain appearances. Also in the final hours of session, lawmakers inserted language into a conference report that fundamentally alters who is eligible for benefits in Indiana throughout the Indiana code. Anywhere the law previously required an 'Honorable Discharge,' it now reads 'Anything Other Than Dishonorable.' This opens the door to eligibility for those with bad conduct and other-than-honorable discharges. To manage this, the Indiana Veterans Commission is tasked with reviewing DD-214 discharge codes which the Department of Defense stopped publicly sharing in 2022. This is a bureaucratic workaround to a problem that shouldn't exist. The longstanding definition of a veteran, one who earned benefits through honorable service is being rewritten without adequate oversight or public input. Benefits come with honorable service. Period. Rewriting that standard isn't equity, it's erasure. This session proved that vigilance is necessary. When legislators tried to undermine or redirect hard-earned benefits, veterans stood up, spoke out, and pushed back. And we're not done. Hoosier veterans live to fight another day. And fight we will. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Gov. Braun activates Indiana National Guard for storm aid
FARMERSBURG, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV)— The Indiana Governor activated the Indiana National Guard to help aid Hoosiers recover after severe weather that impacted 41 counties across the state. According to the news release from the Governor's Office, damage assessments and recovery operations are already ongoing. Units from Jasper, Vincennes, and Seymour have been called in on what they are calling Operation Sandcastle. Units in Bedford, Terre Haute, Indianapolis, and Chandler are on standby in case they are needed. There are currently 50 soldiers from the area supporting the mission. 'Hoosier Guardsmen always answer the call to serve our state and our nation,' said Gov. Mike Braun. 'In times like these, I'm immensely grateful for the soldiers who are on the ground ensuring Hoosier safety.' The Governor's Office is working with the Indiana National Guard, Indiana Department of Homeland Security, Indiana Department of Transportation, Indiana Department of Natural Resources, and Indiana Department of Corrections to begin sandbagging efforts to hopefully stop flooding in areas with critical infrastructure and damage to civilian property. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
