Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita is accusing a refugee resettlement group in Monroe County of helping illegal residents being sought for alleged labor trafficking avoid ICE capture.
What’s called a “civil investigative demand” sent Sept. 8 to Exodus Refugee Immigration seeks “information about possible interference with federal immigration enforcement activities, in which entities in Monroe County may have engaged earlier this year,” a news release from Rokita’s office said.
Exodus Refugee Immigration Inc. leadership said the claim is unjustified and will be challenged. The nonprofit organization is based in Indianapolis and has a Bloomington office.
“There is absolutely no justification for this demand, and we have already contacted counsel,” Exodus CEO Cole Varga said in a statement.
“In our long and respected history as a nonprofit organization here in the Hoosier state, we stand by our important work serving refugees, asylees, special immigrant visa holders, and other humanitarian immigrants.”
A civil investigative demand can be filed by an attorney general ahead of a civil lawsuit to identify documents and other information that could be relevant to a legal challenge.
Concerns arose, Rokita’s news release said, about an unspecified ICE incident where officers reported their mission was thwarted by organized local entities.
“Officials with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement informed the Attorney General’s office that a recent ICE operation in Monroe County faced numerous challenges as a result of what may have been a coordinated effort by entities in Bloomington to help illegal aliens evade apprehension,” the news release said.
No one from Rokita’s office responded to a Herald-Times request asking for examples of the challenges referred to in the statement. When asked, they didn’t supply a copy of the civil investigative demand.
Rokita’s news release blamed “mass movement of illegal aliens and others into Indiana” for an increase in low-wage labor trafficking.
“Some organizations in Indiana — whether they are local officials like the Monroe County sheriff who operate sanctuary policies or private organizations that appear to encourage or assist illegal immigration — are making the problem worse.”
Varga said Rokita’s allegations in that regard are off base. “In stark contrast to the attorney general’s statements, Exodus is in fact one of the few organizations in the state of Indiana that assists victims of human trafficking.”
An ongoing legal dispute between the attorney general’s office and Monroe County Sheriff Ruben Marté over interpretation of federal immigration policies resulted in Rokita filing a lawsuit last year that’s pending in court.
Contact H-T reporter Laura Lane at llane@heraldt.com or 812-318-5967.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Rokita says Monroe County refugee support network helps illegal residents avoid arrest
Reporting by Laura Lane, The Herald-Times / The Herald-Times
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