{"id":2640265,"date":"2026-08-04T11:43:02","date_gmt":"2026-08-04T15:43:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignindiana-ag-sues-chicago-suburb-for-trying-to-stop-ice-detention-center\/"},"modified":"2026-08-04T11:47:52","modified_gmt":"2026-08-04T15:47:52","slug":"utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignindiana-ag-sues-chicago-suburb-for-trying-to-stop-ice-detention-center","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignindiana-ag-sues-chicago-suburb-for-trying-to-stop-ice-detention-center\/","title":{"rendered":"Indiana AG Sues Town For Trying To Stop ICE Detention Center"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Futm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignindiana-ag-sues-chicago-suburb-for-trying-to-stop-ice-detention-center%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2640265&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Attorney General Todd Rokita has filed a lawsuit against the town council of Merrillville,Indiana,accusing them of illegally interfering with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/denver-asks-texas-border-officials-to-share-flyers-discouraging-border-crossers-coming-to-their-city\/\" title=\"Denver requests Texas border officials to share anti-border crossing flyers to discourage individuals from coming to their city.\">federal immigration enforcement efforts<\/a>. The dispute arose when ICE sought to convert a Merrillville warehouse into a detention facility as part of the Trump administration&#8217;s initiative to <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >expand detention capacity nationwide<\/a>. The town council opposed the project and actively worked to prevent property transactions that would facilitate the detention center, including pressuring property owners not to sell to ICE and passing resolutions condemning the conversion.<\/p>\n<p>Following these actions, the AG&#8217;s office issued a cease-and-desist letter demanding Merrillville rescind its opposition and cease interfering with federal immigration enforcement. The town refused, leading to further legal action. The lawsuit alleges that Merrillville\u2019s conduct violates Indiana laws that prohibit local government interference with federal immigration enforcement.<\/p>\n<p>The case is similar to other recent federal lawsuits against states like Maryland and New Jersey for sanctuary policies that restrict immigration enforcement. The Merrillville town council did not comment on the lawsuit.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Attorney General Todd Rokita is <a href=\"https:\/\/image.subscription.in.gov\/lib\/fe2e11747364047b721071\/m\/1\/d1771963-2c5c-4c5e-925d-3cc7f4ff487a.pdf\">suing an Indiana-located Chicago suburb<\/a> for allegedly refusing to cooperate with immigration enforcement. The AG\u2019s office alleges that the Town Council of Merrillville unlawfully interfered with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) actions in the state.<\/p>\n<p>The conflict between ICE and Merrillville, a town just south of Gary, began when ICE first sought to convert one of the town\u2019s warehouses into a detention facility. This is part of the Trump administration\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/ice-detention-facilities-expansion-warehouses-c61c3e23c4246e94a760b4d979cb9c48\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">effort<\/a> to increase the number of detention facilities throughout the country.<\/p>\n<p>Merrillville\u2019s town council opposed the detention facility, and \u201cpursued a concerted and coordinated course of action to pressure Merrillville property owners not to sell to ICE,\u201d according to a July 30 <a href=\"https:\/\/events.in.gov\/event\/attorney-general-todd-rokita-sues-merrillville-for-illegal-interference-with-immigration-enforcement-effectively-aiding-and-abetting-criminal-aliens-in-the-region\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">press release<\/a> from the AG\u2019s office. One councilmember <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fox32chicago.com\/news\/indiana-ag-sues-merrillville-claims-town-officials-illegally-blocked-ice-detention-facility\">emailed<\/a> Opus, a warehouse owner, asking for a \u201cformal written commitment\u201d to not allow a detention facility in the town, Fox 32 Chicago reported.<\/p>\n<p>In another instance <a href=\"https:\/\/image.subscription.in.gov\/lib\/fe2e11747364047b721071\/m\/1\/d1771963-2c5c-4c5e-925d-3cc7f4ff487a.pdf\">cited in the lawsuit<\/a>, the CEO of warehouse company Tradelane sent an email saying his property could not be used as a detention facility because the town council opposed the project. He pointed to Merrillville\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/indianacitizen.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Resolution-26-02.pdf\">Resolution 26-02<\/a>, which states that the town council \u201cunequivocally opposes the conversion of existing industrial warehouses within the Town for the creation of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement processing facility.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure>\n<p><span><\/p>\n<blockquote data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<div lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\n<p>ICYMI from our press conference in Lake County on Thursday :<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe started our first enforcement action under Indiana\u2019s New Fairness Act.<\/p>\n<p>We have officially filed a lawsuit against the Town Council of Merrillville over its illegal interference with federal immigration\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/AxUrIqHLgg\">pic.twitter.com\/AxUrIqHLgg<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u2014 AG Todd Rokita (@AGToddRokita) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/AGToddRokita\/status\/2083678539983749224?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 1, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><\/span> <\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>\u201c[B]ecause of the Town Council\u2019s concerted and coordinated efforts to frustrate any sale of property in Merrillville for use as a DHS immigration detention facility, at least two transactions that may have facilitated DHS\u2019s efforts to expand detention space fell through,\u201d the lawsuit alleges.<\/p>\n<p>Following this, the AG\u2019s office sent Merrillville a <a href=\"https:\/\/events.in.gov\/event\/attorney-general-todd-rokitademands-merrillvillecease-illegalinterference-with-federal-immigration-enforcement\">cease-and-desist letter<\/a>, demanding they end any actions to prevent the detention facility from being built. This letter asked Merrillville to rescind Resolution 26-02, as well as provide a public statement to ensure business owners that the town \u201cwill not oppose any real estate transactions with ICE or retaliate against property owners who engage in those transactions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The town council refused to comply with the letter, prompting further litigation, the press release alleges.<\/p>\n<p>Merrillville\u2019s actions, the AG claims, violate Indiana law under the Fostering and Advancing Immigration Reforms Necessary to Ensure Safety and Security (FAIRNESS) act, as well as Indiana\u2019s anti-sanctuary laws. The Indiana <a href=\"https:\/\/law.justia.com\/codes\/indiana\/title-5\/article-2\/chapter-18-2\/section-5-2-18-2-4\/\">code<\/a> states that \u201cA governmental body or a postsecondary educational institution may not limit or restrict the enforcement of federal immigration laws to less than the full extent permitted by federal law.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Other instances of litigation over immigration enforcement occurred earlier this year, when the federal Department of Justice (DOJ) sued Maryland over its sanctuary policies. Maryland\u2019s sanctuary policies interfered with the federal government\u2019s ability to enforce immigration laws, a July 9 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/opa\/pr\/justice-department-sues-maryland-over-sanctuary-policies\">press release<\/a> alleges. In another case this April, the DOJ <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/opa\/pr\/justice-department-sues-new-jersey-over-attempt-regulate-federal-law-enforcement\">sued<\/a> New Jersey over attempts to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/doj-seeks-block-on-ca-laws-barring-ice-from-hiding-identities\/\" title=\"DOJ seeks block on CA laws barring ... from hiding identities\">regulate federal law enforcement<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The Merrillville town council president did not respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Skye Graham is an intern at The Federalist. She is a senior History major at Hillsdale College and serves as the assistant features editor for the Hillsdale Collegian.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rokita sues Merrillville over immigration enforcement interference<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4302,"featured_media":2640266,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/An_ICE_ERO_officer_monitors_a_detention_facility_in_Buffalo_NY_50044150878-e1785788220475.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[83654,54917,49347,7006,83655],"class_list":["post-2640265","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-ag-lawsuit","tag-ice-detention","tag-immigration-enforcement","tag-indiana","tag-town-dispute"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/An_ICE_ERO_officer_monitors_a_detention_facility_in_Buffalo_NY_50044150878-e1785788220475.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2640265","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4302"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2640265"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2640265\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2640269,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2640265\/revisions\/2640269"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2640266"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2640265"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2640265"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2640265"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}