Indiana AG Todd Rokita sues City of East Chicago over 'sanctuary' status for immigrants
Update: Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita announced on Friday, July 12, that his office had filed a second lawsuit against Monroe County for its immigration and citizen status policy.
Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita has sued the City of East Chicago over its status as a "sanctuary city" for immigrants.
The lawsuit alleges that East Chicago's "Welcoming City" ordinance, one of several passed across the United States in 2017 in reaction to former President Donald Trump's immigration policies, violates Indiana law by restricting "the enforcement of federal immigration laws to less than the full extent permitted by federal law."
The lawsuit, filed Monday in Lake County Superior Court, "seeks an order compelling the city of East Chicago Common Council to comply with Indiana law," according to a complaint shared by Rokita's office.
A spokesperson from the office of East Chicago Mayor Anthony Copeland did not immediately reply to an IndyStar request for comment.
While sanctuary cities have technically been banned in Indiana since 2011 by a state law, some cities or regions have passed ordinances that give undocumented residents some leeway. For example, the city of Gary prevents officials from questioning an immigrant’s legal status unless required to do by court order.
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Current East Chicago code restricts the ability to "request information about or otherwise investigate or assist in the investigation of the citizenship or immigration status of any person," according to Rokita's complaint. The ordinance also faced prior legal trouble; a Lake County judge struck it down in 2021 but the case was eventually dismissed on appeal.
Rokita announced on May 31 he would prosecute Indiana cities who don’t rescind these policies on July 1, the first day a new state law giving him that power goes into effect.
That law, passed this legislative session, authorizes the attorney general to sue if he determines that "probable cause exists that a governmental body or a postsecondary educational institution violates has violated" the existing ban.
"I intend to enforce this law because illegal immigration is unfair to the good people of this state and all the immigrants who worked hard to enter our country legally," Rokita said in a statement.
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A spokesperson from Rokita’s office said July 3 that Rokita has worked with one city, West Lafayette, to change its policy. Previously, the city's policy was that "no individual should be held based solely on a federal immigration detainer." That language has been removed.
A Tuesday statement from Rokita said his office would "continue to evaluate Gary and Monroe County" and that "this may not be the last lawsuit we will file on this issue."
Sanctuary city policies range widely, but can include prohibitions on questioning immigration status, not holding immigrants past a jail release date or refusing to cooperate with federal immigration officials.
Contact IndyStar politics Pulliam fellow Nadia Scharf at nscharf@indystar.com.
Contact senior government accountability reporter Hayleigh Colombo at hcolombo@indystar.com