Attorney General Todd Rokita on Wednesday announced a partnership with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
“Partnering with federal law enforcement is a key part of how we deport illegal aliens under the FAIRNESS Act, which we helped write and support,” Rokita said.
The FAIRNESS act, which went into effect July 1, establishes state-level penalties for employers who knowingly hire or employ unauthorized workers and mandates local government cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
It’s unclear why, with Rokita an ardent supporter of ICE, it took so long for the attorney general’s office to create the partnership. A spokesperson from the Office of the Attorney General provided this statement.
“Passage of the FAIRNESS Act, which we spearheaded and took effect on July 1, created new avenues by which the Office of the Attorney General can combat illegal immigration. This agreement is part of our implementation of the new law. We would have entered into this sooner if the FAIRNESS Act’s passage wasn’t hindered by the Sheriffs’ Association and Liz Brown.”
Rokita said in his statement that the decision was meant to keep Indiana residents safe.
“A 287(g) agreement with ICE does exactly that—giving our investigators greater ability to work side by side with them and take stronger action to protect Hoosiers,” Rokita said.
“By the way, every county sheriff across the state should be—and can be—doing what we’re doing. And what sheriffs across the nation are doing.”
While any Indiana sheriff could partner with ICE in this way, Rokita said only a handful have done so.
“The fact that only six of our 92 sheriffs have signed an agreement like this shows there are missed opportunities for Indiana to enhance the tools they have to protect and serve,” Rokita said. “The Indiana Sheriffs’ Association should be working to make sure all 92 offices are in this program.”
One concern raised over the partnership is that local law enforcement could be ceding power to ICE.
Rokita argued the opposite.
“Agreements like these do not take away from local law enforcement; they only add to their ability to keep communities safe,” Rokita said.
Rokita concluded his statement with a call to action for Indiana residents.
“If your elected official is not partnering with ICE through 287(g), you should ask them directly why that is,” Rokita said.
ICE recently detained 426 individuals in Indiana during “Operation Safe Community - Indiana.”
