Indy faith leaders urge local law enforcement not to cooperate with ICE

Indianapolis faith leaders are urging local law enforcement to not help Immigration and Customs Enforcement deport people.

This week the Indy Action Coalition gathered outside the Marion County Sheriff’s Office at the Community Justice Center. The group said they asked Sheriff Kerry J. Forestal for information about the department’s involvement with ICE but have received limited response.

Rev. Carolyn Higginbotham is one of the leaders of the Indy Action Coalition.

“We stand united today, urging our leaders to lean into the values of Hoosier hospitality and to not try to score points for politicians in Washington,” Higginbotham said.

The Marion County Sheriff’s Office shares information with ICE twice a day and detains individuals for ICE to take into custody. Higginbotham said the action the sheriff’s department has taken harms the community it's supposed to protect and serve.

“We believe everyone should feel safe and secure in their home, their school, their workplace and their place of worship,” she said.

Higginbotham is a member of Indianapolis-based Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). It recently joined a lawsuit to prevent ICE from making arrests in places of worship.

While not involved in the action group, Indianapolis Archbishop Charles C. Thompson penned letters stating support for migrants and refugees and the need for immigration reform.

Danielle Cooney has lived in Indianapolis her entire life and is a small business owner. She said she’s concerned about the federal push to increase deportations.

“I also am scared for people that are legal citizens, that look like they could be illegal, and what that’s going to mean for them,” Cooney said.

About two dozen people attended the event at the CJC. Genene Kambs is a member of the coalition. She said she’s worried about her immigrant neighbors being deported.

“We’ve been stonewalled by the sheriff, and that’s why we're here, to say we’re not going away,” Kambs said.

The group plans to attend the City County Council Public Safety Committee, to push the council to get more detailed information from the sheriff’s office and its interactions with ICE.

At the time of this story's publication, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office had not responded to WFYI’s request for comment.

Contact WFYI All Things Considered newscaster and reporter Samantha Horton at shorton@wfyi.org.

Digital producer and reporter Zach Bundy contributed to this story.