a day ago
- Politics
- Indianapolis Star
Here's what we know about ICE sightings in Lawrence and Indianapolis
A week after anti-immigration protests broke out in Los Angeles, residents of Indianapolis began reporting sightings of federal agents stopping and arresting people throughout the city.
While federal agents associated with the U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement have been operating in Indianapolis since the start of President Donald Trump's administration, residents believe that operations have been more frequent and public-facing this week.
"These seem to be targeted operations, pulling over specific vehicles," reads a social media post from the Indiana Undocumented Youth Alliance. "They are showing up in groups of larger unmarked vehicles."
"We urge you all to be vigilant in the mornings as they are targeting our community members as they go to work, between the hours of 5:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.," the post read.
The IndyStar investigated several of the claims from this week to confirm the validity of the operations.
Multiple sightings of federal agents near North Tibbs Avenue and West 10th Street started to appear on social media early morning on June 12.
A video was posted on Facebook that appeared to show a man being arrested by plain-clothed federal agents along West 10th Street and North Centennial Street at about 6:50 a.m.
It appeared the man was inside a stopped work van. Seven unmarked vehicles and six federal agents appear to be assisting with detaining the man.
It's unclear what agency the law enforcement officers represented. IndyStar asked the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department if its officers were involved. The department stated its officers did not participate in nor were aware of federal activity in the vicinity.
IndyStar reporters received security camera footage from a resident in the area, which showed several unmarked vehicles driving around the neighborhood starting at 6 a.m. before the camera captured the stop at about 6:50 a.m.
The work van could be seen traveling westbound on 10th Street when a black Jeep Cherokee flashed concealed red and blue police lights to have the driver of the van pull over. The hidden lights sat inside the vehicle above the car's rearview mirror.
Shortly after being pulled over, two other unmarked vehicles appear on screen, also with flashing lights.
It's unclear if the arrest was targeted or if it started as a traffic stop.
IndyStar reached out to the U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement Indianapolis field office and asked if the department had been conducting operations on June 12.
The department did not respond to IndyStar's question by the time of publication.
Another post circulating on social media showcases images of law enforcement agents, one of whom had an "FBI" patch on his vest, conducting an apparent arrest on Tibbs Avenue.
The arrest occurred about a mile away from what residents saw on West 10th Street earlier that day, and it appears one of the vehicles, a Black Ford Explorer, was present at both incidents.
It's unclear at the time of publication how many people may have been detained in these incidents.
On June 11, images circulated online showing that ICE activity may have occurred near 42nd Street and Richelieu Road in Lawrence.
A since-deleted social media post shared around 7:30 a.m. depicted several photos of men wearing vests that said "Police ICE."
Lawrence Police Department said it was not aware of or involved in any ICE arrests in the city.
IndyStar reporters spoke with neighbors in the area who confirmed law enforcement activity earlier in the day.
One of the neighbors said she was leaving for work and saw men wearing "Police ICE" vests in front of unmarked vehicles. She also saw several men sitting on the curb as law enforcement agents talked among each other.
The business owner who operates in the neighborhood said he caught video of law enforcement activity in the area around the time that neighbors witnessed men being detained by apparent federal agents.
Although it is unknown how many people were detained on June 11, one Guatemalan man was booked into the Marion County Jail with an ICE hold later that day.
On the same day, three men from Indianapolis were booked into the Hopkins County Jail and detention center in Kentucky with ICE holds.
ICE officials did not respond to IndyStar questions about it at the time of publication
