ICE: “ICE leads joint operation in southern Indiana”
I had the honor and pleasure of being a visiting scholar at Indiana Maurer School of Law (Bloomington) this past spring. Not long after I returned to California, I heard rumblings from friends that Immigration and Customs Enforcement had conducted operations in Bloomington and Evansville, Indiana. On May 22, ICE issued a press release on the operations:
“A coordinated, multi-agency law enforcement operation conducted April 29 to May 1, resulted in the arrest of 23 aliens in the Evansville and Bloomington areas, as part of an ongoing initiative to combat criminal activity and enhance public safety. The successful three-day operation was conducted by a coalition of federal partners, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the U.S. Attorney’s Office (USAO).
Of the 23 aliens taken into custody, 18 had prior criminal arrests or convictions, including:
- 10 aliens with one or more Operating While Intoxicated (OWI) offenses
- 10 aliens involved in crimes that resulted in injury to others
- 3 aliens connected to drug possession and trafficking
Additionally, four aliens were arrested on federal warrants, including one subject previously convicted of cocaine trafficking . . . . .”
For a three day operation involving seven federal agencies, the arrests seem underwhelming. And the crimes are not of the violent kind that President Trump has said that his immigration enforcement prioritizes. One can only wonder why the Trump administration is conducting operations with such small gains.
Not long after the operations, Bloomington Mayor Kerry Thomson issued the following statement regarding the federal immigration enforcement activity in Bloomington:
“Our changes in the federal immigration landscape have created tremendous uncertainty for many of our residents, which reverberates through homes, schools, and hearts. That emotional weight matters deeply to me and shapes how we lead.
“Federal immigration enforcement falls outside the City’s legal authority. We cannot prevent federal officers from operating within their jurisdiction. Federal immigration authorities can enter our community without advance notice or informing us of their intended actions. While the City remains guided by principles of dignity and safety, we operate within legal frameworks established by the federal government.
“There are organizations and legal service providers in our community with expertise in immigration law. We continue to strongly encourage residents to reach out to those groups directly for questions, guidance, and support.
“I recognize the urgency many are feeling. Though our authority is limited in this space, our commitment to supporting our community within the bounds of the law remains constant.”
In Evansville, a local paper reported that the operations “unearthed long-simmering fears among the city’s immigrant community that local residents could be targeted for arrest, advocates said.”
KJ