U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has opened an administrative office in Carmel — and some residents are not happy about their new neighbor.
“I know this issue has raised real concerns for many members of our public. And if it raises concerns for the public, it raises concerns for us,” Carmel City Council president Matthew Snyder said at a meeting on April 20. “I want to acknowledge that we do take this seriously.”
Nine public commenters at the city council meeting said they did not support the federal agency moving into Carmel, while one public speaker said he was in favor of the agency locating in Carmel. Some of those against ICE encouraged city councilors to pass a resolution stating city officials’ opposition to the agency operating in Carmel
But city councilors did not to take that step at the Monday night meeting.
“I also want to be clear and transparent about something that we’ve discussed almost ad nauseam, and that is that the city does not have authority over the leasing decisions of private residents and private businesses,” Snyder told the council meeting room before the public comments section of the meeting.
News first broke in February that ICE would be establishing a presence in Carmel. City leaders at the time said they had minimal information on what that meant.
At a city council meeting a few days later, Carmel Mayor Sue Finkam said ICE would be leasing a privately-owned office to use as overflow space for administrative personnel currently working in the ICE office on Woodland Drive in Indianapolis. She did not say where the Carmel ICE office would be.
ICE has not responded to questions from IndyStar.
A WIRED Magazine article reported that ICE is expanding across the country, leasing new space in nearly every state, mostly in or just outside of large cities. The magazine reported that Carmel’s ICE location will be at an office park on Pennsylvania Parkway, called Penn on Pkwy.
IndyStar reached out to the apparent owner and leasing manager of Penn on Pkwy for comment but did not receive a reply.
Common Cause Indiana, a non-partisan organization, helped organize a town hall last month during which the group encouraged attendees to contact their Carmel city councilors to ask them to pass a resolution stating that Carmel is not an appropriate place for an ICE office.
Snyder said city councilors have spent lots of time listening to residents’ concerns about the ICE office, and that councilors have fielded hundreds of emails and phone calls on the topic.
The City of Carmel also now has a webpage with answers to frequently asked questions about the ICE office, such as whether there is a detention center in Carmel and whether there will be uniformed officers in the facility. The answer to both is no.
“We are intentional about creating opportunities for our residents and visitors to connect and engage across cultures, including community events, international festivals and sister city exchanges that bring global perspectives into Carmel,” the webpage reads. “We will continue to share information and provide updates as needed to ensure residents understand how local government operates.”
The city did not play a role in ICE locating its office in Carmel, but Finkam and Carmel Police Chief Drake Sterling now have an open line of communication with administrative personnel working in the ICE office in case questions arise, according to the city’s webpage.
“A modest amount” of ICE attorneys and administrative support staff will work from the new Carmel office, according to the city.
Rob Brown, who said he was raised by an immigrant mother and is married to an immigrant, spoke in support of the federal agency opening an office in Carmel.
“Folks should be following rules, and if they’ve obeyed our laws, there’s nothing to fear,” Brown said. “They (ICE agents) are not here to break our laws, but to enforce them.”
Sharon Boller, board president of the nonprofit From Strangers to Neighbors, which assists refugees who resettle in the United States legally, said city officials need to do more to support immigrants in response to ICE’s presence.
“A city committed to embracing immigrants and protecting its immigrant residents and citizens would issue a formal statement,” Boller said during the public comments section of the meeting. “I recognize, legally, you cannot remove ICE. I’m not asking you to do that. I am asking you, as a government and as a council, to issue a formal statement letting ICE know they aren’t welcome in this community. We don’t want them here.”
Maaike Alejandra Mora, a 16-year-old Carmel High School student, who said her parents are immigrants, added she also wants to hear more from Carmel city officials on the issue.
“I have found myself wishing for less helplessness and more assertiveness from our city leadership,” Mora said. “I say that with respect because I know these decisions might be complicated. I understand that you feel limited in what you can do. But even when options are limited, your voices and opinions still matter.”
Contact Jake Allen at jake.allen@indystar.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @Jake_Allen19. Click here to get Hamilton County news sent straight to your inbox and subscribe to the IndyStar North newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: ICE office now open in Carmel. Here’s the latest
Reporting by Jake Allen, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
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