The town of Merrillville wants more guidance from Indiana’s attorney general, before rescinding a resolution opposing the use of local warehouses for Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention.
Attorney General Todd Rokita accused Merrillville of restricting federal immigration enforcement activities, in violation of state law. He gave the town council until July 15 to rescind the resolution or potentially face thousands of dollars in fines.
During Tuesday’s meeting, council member Shawn Pettit moved to deny the requested rescission outright. “We passed a resolution. We don’t need somebody coming into town and telling us how to do economic development,” Pettit said.
Instead, council members ultimately voted to table the request, until Rokita responds to the explanation sent by the town.
“There could be another solution to this, besides us getting into this, ‘Let’s see who’s going to stand their ground the longest,’” said council member Rhonda Neal.
Still, council member Keesha Hardaway criticized Rokita’s request. "This violates our First Amendment right on freedom of speech," Hardaway said. "We represent 5,000 residents each. And we are a voice, and we are their voice. And he is trying to squelch the voices of the town of Merrillville, and I will not tolerate that."
While there’s little the town could do to stop ICE from setting up a facility, council members weren’t sure federal officials were even interested anymore. Pettit said the warehouse that was reportedly being considered has since been leased by private businesses.
