(This story was updated to add new information.)
Yes, Homeland Security was in Indianapolis this week. No, not that one.
A rumor that proliferated across many Indianapolis residents’ social media pages in recent days may have arisen over confusion between similarly named state and federal agencies.
The claim: Federal immigration agents working with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security were staying in downtown hotels including the J.W. Marriott, the Marriott Downtown and the Westin.
The reality: Indiana’s statewide emergency management agency, the Indiana Department of Homeland Security, summoned its staff to Indianapolis to coordinate the response to Winter Storm Fern.
IDHS staff and volunteers stayed at downtown hotels during the state of emergency, according to Liz Dessauer, the agency’s public affairs director.
The three hotels nearest to the State Emergency Operations Center? The J.W. Marriott, the Marriott Downtown and the Westin. Marriott Bonvoy, the hotels’ parent company, did not immediately respond to a request for comment, nor did Immigrations and Customs Enforcement.
ICE operations are not uncommon. News reports from other cities, including Los Angeles, Charlotte, Minneapolis and Chicago, have documented workplace round-ups, apartment building raids and violence against protesters. Reports of ICE agents being sighted across Central Indiana — often unsubstantiated — have become common in the year since President Donald Trump returned to power.
Information often spreads online faster than it can be verified, and can continue to proliferate even after being debunked. On Jan. 28, WANE15 reported that Fort Wayne Community Schools sent a letter home to parents refuting viral claims of upcoming immigration enforcement on its campuses. Photos purporting to depict ICE agents in Tarkington Park in north Indianapolis on Jan. 29 continued to circulate on Facebook even after a local volunteer group, Indy Rapid Response, quickly indicated that the images showed the U.S. Marshal Service serving a warrant unrelated to immigration enforcement.
The Marion County Sheriff’s Office made its own post addressing the Tarkington Park footage. “This was NOT an ICE/CBP operation and ICE/CBP agents were not involved in this operation,” the sheriff’s office wrote.
It instead showed MCSO’s Sex Offender Registry Unit assisting the Marshals with “an active case involving missing children,” all of whom have been recovered safely.
“Countering the misinformation circulating online could be a full time job,” wrote Karla López Owens, an attorney and community advocate. Lopez Owens is scheduled to speak at a Jan. 30 candlelit vigil for ICE detainees.
Indianapolis conferences often draw law enforcement
As a popular site for conventions and conferences, downtown Indianapolis in particular can be a hotbed for rumors. The area routinely receives swarms of out-of-town visitors: firefighters, board game enthusiasts and, of course, Future Farmers of America.
A sudden, visible influx of law enforcement may be tied to such a gathering rather than an upcoming crackdown. The Indiana Association of Chiefs of Police were meeting from Jan. 27-29 at the Historic Crowne Plaza Hotel, and the Indiana Sheriff’s Association will host a trade show at the Hilton Downtown between Feb. 24-26.
Indiana has not seen coordinated enforcement operations on the scale of those in Chicago or Minneapolis, but the agency still has a presence. The Clay County Jail, 60 miles southwest of Indianapolis, serves as one of the agency’s largest detention centers in the Midwest. To the north, the Miami Correctional Facility – dubbed the ‘Speedway Slammer’ – already houses hundreds of ICE detainees. The Marion County Sheriff’s Office announced on Jan. 12 that ICE detainees would no longer be held in its jail for more than 48 hours in an attempt to relieve overcrowding.
Farther from Indy, Gov. Mike DeWine in Ohio has said his state is preparing for a possible ICE surge in Springfield, where thousands of Haitian residents stand to lose their legal immigration status next week. On Feb. 3, temporary protected status is set to expire for 300,000 Haitians.
The Trump administration has attempted to remove protections for people from certain countries under the 1990 program, which grants work authorization and deportation protections for people from a pre-determined list of dangerous countries.
On Jan. 28, Reuters reported that an appeals court found that Kristi Noem overstepped her authority by stripping the program’s protections from Venezuelan nationals in 2025. A ruling on Haitians’ status expected in the coming days could push back the Feb. 3 deadline.
Ryan Murphy is the communities reporter for IndyStar. She can be reached at rhmurphy@indystar.com.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Is ICE in Indianapolis? What to know about rumors
Reporting by Ryan Murphy, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
