07/30/2026
Indiana Attorney General Sues Merrillville Town Council Over Alleged Interference With ICE Detention Facility
MERRILLVILLE — Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita has filed a lawsuit against the Merrillville Town Council, alleging the council illegally interfered with federal immigration enforcement efforts by attempting to prevent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from acquiring property for a proposed detention facility.
According to the Attorney General’s Office, the lawsuit is the first enforcement action brought under the recently enacted FAIRNESS Act, which expanded the state’s authority to enforce Indiana’s anti-sanctuary laws.
State officials say ICE has been working to acquire property in Merrillville as part of a nationwide effort to expand detention capacity during the Trump administration’s large-scale deportation operations. The Attorney General argues that additional detention space is necessary to support federal immigration enforcement.
The lawsuit alleges the Merrillville Town Council engaged in a coordinated effort to discourage property owners from selling land to ICE, claiming those actions unlawfully interfered with the federal government’s efforts to establish a detention facility.
On June 24, 2026, the Attorney General’s Office issued a cease-and-desist letter directing the town to stop any actions that could impede property sales to ICE and to assure property owners they would not face retaliation for selling property to federal authorities.
According to the complaint, the Town Council refused to comply.
“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,” Attorney General Todd Rokita said in a statement. “That’s illegal under Indiana law.”
The lawsuit seeks a court order requiring the Town Council to comply with state law and also requests civil penalties against the council.
The Attorney General’s Office said the legal action is part of its continued enforcement of Indiana’s anti-sanctuary laws and its support of federal immigration enforcement efforts.
The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), which assisted in developing the FAIRNESS Act and is serving as outside counsel in anti-sanctuary matters, also praised the lawsuit.
“The Federation for American Immigration Reform was proud to work with Attorney General Rokita to enact the FAIRNESS Act and is pleased to assist him as outside counsel as he exercises his authority under the new law to stop unlawful attempts by local governments to interfere with federal immigration enforcement,” said Dale Wilcox, executive director of FAIR. “Federal efforts to expand detention space are essential to mass deportations, and Merrillville’s efforts to block the creation of a new detention site must be stopped.”
