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Indiana Senate advances GOP bill compelling police to cooperate with ICE

On Monday, Republicans in the Indiana state Senate advanced a bill that would compel local law enforcement and government agencies to assist federal immigration operations, including with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

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Voting & Elections
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January 27, 2026
Indiana senators meet in the Senate chamber to discuss the new congressional map during a special session Monday, Dec. 8, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Obed Lamy)
On Monday, Republicans in the Indiana state Senate advanced a bill that would compel local law enforcement and government agencies to assist federal immigration operations, including with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). State Sen. Elizabeth “Liz” Brown (R-Fort Wayne) wrote Senate Bill 76, which passed in the Senate on Monday by a vote of 37-7. All “yay” votes were cast by Republicans; no Democrats voted for it. (Three Democrats and two Republicans were listed as excused.) To become law, SB 76 needs to pass in the Indiana House of Representatives and be signed into law by Gov. Mike Braun (R). On the Senate floor, Brown said her bill simply enforces the United States’ current immigration laws. “Senate Bill 76 addresses a serious problem. The Biden administration deliberately created a humanitarian crisis in this country,” Brown said. “Because of this, the Trump administration in the course of enforcing our laws has at times asked for state and local cooperation across many sectors. This state has always been on the side of law enforcement, and we’ve had our own policies, such as banning sanctuary city policies, to ensure that law enforcement can do their job.” State Sen. Andrea Hunley (D-Indianapolis) spoke against the bill, arguing that it compels Indiana authorities to align with the same untrained agency (ICE) responsible for the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. “Let’s, for a moment, sit with the reality that hate, and fear and inhumanity is sweeping across our country, on the heels of politically motivated occupations of United States cities by the very agency that this legislation demands we align ourselves with,” Hunley said. Among numerous provisions, Brown’s bill would require county jails or local law enforcement agencies to notify a judge if they are holding a person who is subject to an ICE detainer request. SB 76 also gives the governor the power to withhold grants or state funds from entities who do not comply with the bill’s provisions.
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Richard Eberwein

Rich Eberwein is a multimedia journalist for Heartland Signal. He earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Illinois before joining Heartland Signal in 2022. In addition to politics, Rich writes about baseball and entertainment for Fansided. Read Richard’s reporting

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