The Lake County Sheriff’s Department is now cooperating with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement following warnings from the Indiana attorney general, according to a Thursday news release. But the department responded and said the Lake County Sheriff’s Department has routinely cooperated with federal law enforcement.
“I just want to clear the air and (assure) the residents of Lake County that the Lake County Sheriff’s Department has always cooperated with local, state and federal agencies to achieve our joint mission of making our local communities safe and secure for families and children,” Sheriff Oscar Martinez said in a Thursday news release. “This cooperation has always existed — and has not been the result of any action taken or threats by any state official from Indianapolis.”
Attorney General Todd Rokita sent two letters to Martinez, warning that if the agency didn’t work with ICE, a lawsuit would follow.
“With the Lake County Sheriff’s Department now honoring ICE detainers, criminal aliens will be deported rather than just simply being released back into our communities,” Rokita said in a news release. “Eliminating another sanctuary jurisdiction from our state is a major win for the rule of law and for Hoosier taxpayers. We will continue our ongoing conversations with ICE and Lake County to ensure they are compliant with Indiana law. We do reserve our right at all times to enforce state law, even when it comes to the County Sheriff.”
In an October letter, Rokita told Martinez that he was concerned the sheriff’s department was inconsistent with Indiana Code and “implemented and maintains a policy limiting its and its officers’ cooperation” with the federal agency. The department was considered a “non-cooperative law enforcement agency” by ICE, according to the letter.
It’s unlawful to prohibit a law enforcement officer from communicating or cooperating with federal officials; sending to or receiving information from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security; maintaining information; or exchanging information with another government entity, according to Indiana Code.
The law also says agencies can’t “limit or restrict the enforcement of federal immigration laws to less than the full extent permitted by federal law,” according to Rokita’s letter.
In the letter, Rokita asked for Martinez to confirm whether the department limits communication with ICE and to discontinue any policy related to limiting it.
The attorney general’s news release did not include Martinez’s response, but Rokita wrote to the sheriff again in December, thanking him for his response and recent actions to strengthen the department’s cooperation with ICE.
Rokita still accused the department of not honoring ICE detainers and said Lake County was inconsistent with state law.
Martinez confirmed that the department received the letters, but Rokita did not reach out in any way, according to the news release. He said the department would have welcomed a conversation with the attorney general.
In the sheriff’s department’s Thursday news release, Martinez said the agency always cooperated with other agencies; never requested, condoned or participated in efforts to designate the county or jail as a sanctuary location or facility; never implemented or endorsed policy that restricts county police officers from communicating with ICE; and never implemented a policy that restricts officers from complying with detainer requests.
The department recently met with ICE to “discuss the agency’s priorities regarding the notification of illegal immigrants in our jail who have broken the law,” the news release said.
“Those who break the law in Lake County, regardless of immigration status, will be brought to justice,” Martinez said. “I take the safety of all of our citizens seriously and will continue to work tirelessly to ensure their well-being.”
In January, Gov. Mike Braun signed an executive order that requires Indiana to cooperate fully with the federal government on illegal immigration strategies, offering the assistance of the Indiana National Guard. The Indiana Department of Administration is required to certify state vendor contracts are able to lawfully work in the U.S., according to the executive order.
According to the executive order, state law enforcement agencies must report to the Indiana Intelligence Fusion Center “credible evidence of illegal aliens with a prior criminal history and/or are suspected of committing a felony, suspected of engaging in terror or espionage, or who present a significant threat to national security or public safety.”
The Gary/Chicago International Airport has been involved in deportations, according to Post-Tribune archives, and Executive Director Dan Vicari said the organization plays no role in establishing or enforcing federal immigration policy.
“Like almost every other airport nationwide, GCIA receives federal funding, and the airport’s assurances pertaining to the federal funding prohibits the airport from discriminating against any flight coming in or out of the airport,” Vicari said in a January statement. “This means the airport cannot stop ICE-chartered planes from using the airport. The airport itself does not have any flight servicing contracts with ICE.”
In January, officers from the Hammond and Gary policy departments both told the Post-Tribune that they hadn’t been called to help with deportations.
mwilkins@chicagotribune.com
