On Tuesday, Indiana Governor Mike Braun announced that all law enforcement agencies in the state will be obliged to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Braun states in the executive order that was issued on Tuesday that agencies are “directed to fully cooperate with ICE, and, to the maximum extent permitted, enter into agreements under 8 U.S.C. 1357(g) with the United States Government.”
This follows President Donald Trump’s executive order, “Securing Our Borders,” which was submitted on January 20 in order to address “the disastrous effects of unlawful mass migration and resettlement.”
According to Braun, the results of the 2024 election plainly indicated that voters want stricter measures to be taken against illegal immigration.
Braun responded about whether his order would require state troopers to take an active role in immigration investigations by saying that Indiana will do “what the federal government asks us to do that’s reasonable to help find the most egregious examples of illegal immigrants that have committed egregious crimes.”
He stated, “Indiana will be a state that helps remove people who entered the country illegally, committed crimes, and are a threat to society.”
Braun’s directive states that state law enforcement agencies must collaborate with ICE and report credible evidence of “illegal aliens” to the Indiana Intelligence Fusion Center if the person:
- Has a previous criminal record and/or is believed to have committed a serious crime
- Is believed to be involved in hostile actions, such as espionage, economic espionage, and/or activities associated to terrorism
- Poses a serious risk to the safety of the public or the security of the nation
The directive applies to all state-level law enforcement agencies, including the Indiana State Police and the law enforcement divisions of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.
The directive does not directly apply to local and county law enforcement, but it does include language that encourages those agencies to follow the state’s lead.
The Indiana National Guard will also be asked to cooperate with requests from the Indiana Department of Homeland Security when those demands are connected to immigration.
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According to Representative Victoria Garcia Wilburn, D-Fishers, who is the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, Braun’s order does not have much of an impact on the daily operations of police enforcement agencies, but it does not look good.
She added it will encourage immigrants not to report crimes in their communities.
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“Those partnerships are critical because when somebody helps police to solve a crime, that puts their immigration status on an entire other level,” she stated. “The federal government has longstanding relationships with expediting people who are cooperating.”
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