The Indiana Attorney General is suing the sheriff for not following federal immigration laws.
“I filed a lawsuit against St. Joseph County Sheriff [William] Redman and his department over their persistent practice of refusing to cooperate with federal immigration authorities,” Rokita stated at the press conference in South Bend, Indiana.
He added that, “This includes refusing to notify ICE properly about the release of illegal aliens and also refusing to honor ICE detainers. This deliberate decision to not cooperate with federal immigration authorities is giving safe harbor to criminal aliens that need to be removed from our country and this county.”
ICE detainers are people that ICE requests local authorities to keep in custody until an agent can take them into custody.
He stated that the sheriff’s actions would lead to an increase in the number of undocumented migrants in St. Joseph County, which would result in increased criminal activity.
“I refuse as your attorney general to just stand by and watch the lawlessness happen from law enforcement officials,” he continued.
Rokita stated that the Sheriff’s Department is still not following Indiana law after several attempts to get in touch with the sheriff.
He stated that Indiana will continue to support its law enforcement despite the lawsuit, but that “we will also hold those who deserve to be held accountable, accountable.”
“My office will not stop in our work here on this issue until the law is followed and we put our people first over illegal aliens,” he stated.
Rokita stated that his office would be “happy to rescind the lawsuit” if the sheriff’s department starts to cooperate.
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He also mentioned that his office is looking into possible labor tracking networks in the state due to allegations from citizens about an increase in the number of migrants coming into their areas.
The complaint comes as the Trump administration announced that hundreds of undocumented immigrants have been removed from the nation since he was sworn in on Monday.
