Attorney General Todd Rokita is suing the Town Council of Merrillville for allegedly interfering with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, setting up the first clash between state and local officials under a new immigration law.
It’s the first test of Rokita’s enhanced enforcement power under Senate Enrolled Act 76, which the White House’s border czar once called “gold standard” legislation. The law requires schools, hospitals and local governments to not take any action or create any policy interfering with immigration enforcement and allows the attorney general to sue for civil penalties.
In a news release July 30, Rokita said the town violated state law by pressuring property owners not to sell to ICE, which he said is trying to build a new detention site in Merrillville.
His office sent a cease and desist letter to town officials June 24, alleging that federal officials told his office that town officials pressured property owners on multiple occasions in the past four months.
“We requested that Merrillville comply with state law and they refused, choosing instead to play games, effectively aid and abet criminal illegal aliens, and making the illegals’ evasion of justice a higher priority than the safety of taxpayers throughout the region,” Rokita said.
In his earlier cease and desist letter, Rokita’s office alleged that intimidation by local officials led property owners to terminate agreements with ICE, which has been seeking to expand its footprint to detain and deport undocumented immigrants more quickly. Part of that effort, according to a December 2025 report from The Washington Post based on internal government documents, involves converting warehouses into ICE detention and processing facilities.
Merrillville was identified as a potential processing facility site, according to The Post. Town officials weren’t aware of such plans at the time and quickly passed a resolution opposing the prospect. In a blog post about the resolution, Town Council President Rick Bella wrote that the council opposed the potential facility because of concerns about converting a warehouse for human occupancy and the anticipated resource demand.
Bella could not be immediately reached for comment.
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Contact breaking politics reporter Marissa Meador at mmeador@indystar.com or find her on X at @marissa_meador.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: AG Rokita sues Merrillville for allegedly interfering with ICE detention center
Reporting by Marissa Meador, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Marissa Meador, Indianapolis Star | USA TODAY Network
