Standing in front of Monument Circle with an “Abolish ICE” banner behind him, Johnny Hall called on Indianapolis leaders to oppose the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
“To our mayor, to the City-County Council, to every local official who claims to represent the people of this city: You do not get to sit on the fence,” Hall said. “To our new City-County Council President Maggie Lewis, what are you prepared to do to stop this from happening in our city?”
Hall, a southside resident and organizer with the Indy Liberation Center, was one of hundreds of people who gathered downtown Jan. 8 to demand justice after a masked U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officer shot and killed Renee Nicole Good near her home in Minneapolis on Jan. 7.
The demonstration was one of dozens that occurred across the country in the aftermath of the killing, which was captured on video.
The Trump administration has sought to paint Good as a “domestic terrorist” who was bent on harming ICE officers. Friends and family members, though, say that Good was a mother of three who enjoyed writing and playing guitar.
When asked to respond to Hall’s comments, Hogsett, a Democrat, told Mirror Indy that the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department has no desire to participate in ICE-related activities.
“To the extent that the federal government feels the need to place ICE officers in Indianapolis, that’s somebody else’s decision, but it’s not something that I’m requesting,” said Hogsett, “and it’s not something that I think there there’s any kind of immediate need in the city of Indianapolis. People are frightened and I’m aware of that.”
“We pride ourselves in being a welcoming city, and we want to remain that way,” he added.
Lewis, a Democrat who was elected council president earlier this week, did not respond to Mirror Indy’s Jan. 9 request for comment.
IMPD Chief Chris Bailey, who Hogsett recently named his next chief of staff, has said that IMPD will not be participating in immigration raids.
He called Good’s death “an unbelievable tragedy” and reiterated IMPD’s commitment to keeping communities safe.
“Federal authorities have a certain ability to operate, whether we agree with it or not,” said Bailey, “but we at the local level have to make sure that everyone understands public safety is our responsibility.”
While the city’s police department isn’t participating in ICE operations, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office has a contract with ICE to house immigration detainees at the Marion County Jail.
Sheriff Kerry Forestal has come under fire from community activists for maintaining this agreement.
Forestal, a Democrat, previously told Mirror Indy that his “sworn duty as it relates to immigration matters” overrides any “personal beliefs and religious convictions” he has about the issue.
“Law enforcement officers cannot routinely pick and choose what laws they will enforce and what laws they will ignore,” he said.
Hogsett has said that contract is “the responsibility of the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.”
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Peter Blanchard covers local government. Reach him at 317-605-4836 or peter.blanchard@mirrorindy.org. Follow him on X @peterlblanchard.
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