Indiana AG sues Merrillville, accusing town of blocking new ICE facility

Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita sued the town of Merrillville, accusing town leaders of discouraging or thwarting ICE's attempts to buy property there for a new immigration detention facility, the Indiana Capital Chronicle reported. The suit is the first enforcement action under Senate Enrolled Act 76, approved in March, which authorizes the attorney general to sue local governments for up to $10,000 per violation of a ban on limiting immigration enforcement. It follows a cease-and-desist letter about a month earlier demanding the town rescind a non-binding resolution opposing the conversion of warehouses into detention space; town officials have said the resolution is an expression of opinion protected by the First Amendment, not an enforceable policy.