Burmese immigrants have fundamentally reshaped Indianapolis’ south side.

You can see it in the schools, in the revitalization of some neighborhoods and in the 150 or so businesses started by Burmese immigrants, according to Elaisa Vahnie.

“There are many ways that the community is impacted positively,” said Vahnie, the executive director of the Burmese American Community Institute, which serves 30,000 Burmese across all of Central Indiana.

That includes the roughly 10,000 people from Burma — also known as Myanmar — who have largely settled in Perry Township. They are one of the largest immigrant communities in Indianapolis.

Similar evidence of the impact of immigrants is found all across the city, according to a Mirror Indy analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data on foreign-born residents and estimates from immigrant organizations.

Thousands of people from Mexico have settled on the south side. A large number of Indian immigrants now call either Franklin or Perry township home. And the east side is now known as an enclave for people coming from Haiti.

In all, more than one out of every 10 residents in Marion County was born outside the country. Indianapolis has become an international city.

As the immigrant population has grown, those who work within these communities say that the city has been a welcoming destination. And although the state has faced criticism for not doing enough to help immigrants, former Gov. Eric Holcomb has celebrated Indiana’s receptiveness, calling Indiana “very accommodating, very welcoming” and touting the kindness of Hoosiers during a 2021 visit with Afghan refugees in southern Indiana.

Holcomb struck a markedly different chord after the most recent election of Donald Trump, pledging to use state resources to support the president’s mass deportation agenda. His successor, Gov. Mike Braun, has doubled down on that promise. Other Hoosier leaders have similarly fallen in line.

And as Trump unveils an increasing number of anti-immigration policies, many immigrants in Indy are facing detention or deportation.

“It’s really like a nightmare all across the board,” said Cole Varga, executive director of Exodus Refugee, an Indianapolis-based organization that resettles refugees.

Threats to immigrants

The Trump administration has been issuing changes to immigration policy at a dizzying pace. Now, thousands of immigrants who came to Indianapolis legally are at risk of being forced out of the country, Varga said.

For example, the Trump administration announced it would end a Biden-era program to allow people from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela to enter the U.S. and work for up to two years. During that time, those people could seek humanitarian protection or family reunification. The targeted countries are each experiencing unique combinations of crises, such as economic turbulence, political upheaval and natural disasters.

Starting April 24, however, that program will be terminated, and people here under that program will no longer be able to work or stay in the country legally. More than half a million people came to the U.S. under the program, though it’s unclear how many are located in Indianapolis.

Varga and his organization have seen the impacts first hand. On the first day of his presidency, President Trump signed an executive order halting all refugee resettlement in the country. The decision stopped the resettlement process for 20,000 people already in the pipeline, Varga said, including one man who was destined for Indiana.

His wife had already arrived in Indianapolis. He will likely be sent back to his home country.

“He’s a political refugee,” Varga said. “So now he’s maybe going to be put back in the country that he had to flee. So they are, rightfully so, freaking out about their future together, if they’ll see each other again, if he’ll ever get to come, if he’ll be imprisoned in his home country.”

Without refugees to resettle, and with a large portion of Exodus’ federal funding being cut — another move by the Trump administration — Varga’s organization is becoming leaner. He said his team is focused on getting legal help to those who are already here.

As for what the average Indy residents can do, he asks that they speak out, especially to their elected officials.

“The international community that we built in Indianapolis are important,” Varga said. “They need to hear that from their constituents.”

Immigrants drive population growth

For the state as a whole, immigrants are playing an increasingly large role in population growth.

Indiana added more than 44,000 residents in 2024, the largest annual increase since 2008, according to an analysis of census data by Matt Kinghorn, senior demographic analyst at the Indiana Business Research Center at the IU Kelley School of Business.

Most of that growth — 70% — was attributed to international migration. By contrast, 77% of Indiana’s growth in 2008 was due to births outpacing deaths.

There are a number of factors that contribute to this dynamic, Kinghorn said. A variety of economic factors push the fertility rate down, the country’s once largest generation is aging and dying, and the opioid epidemic has taken a tragic toll.

“So that means, now and going forward, migration — from other states or abroad — is going to be a larger part of our growth,” Kinghorn said.

There are many reasons people come to Indianapolis from other countries, according to Maria Yuquilima, marketing and communications manager for Immigrant Welcome Center.

But there’s something they all have in common: Opportunity.

“The range is huge,” she said. “Economic, education, political freedom, gender equality.”

Indianapolis isn’t a sanctuary city or a certified welcoming city. But the resources for immigrants here makes Indianapolis a good place for people to settle, Yuquilima said.

Her organization serves as a one-stop-shop for immigrants who need food, housing and help with learning English. The city has also stepped in to provide assistance to immigrants.

When the changes started happening at the federal level, she said her organization mobilized to try to make sure the community felt “educated and empowered.” Her team hosted Know-Your-Rights workshops and an event where people could ask an attorney questions.

“Our work doesn’t change because of the administration,” she said.

For people who want to get more involved, she suggested reaching out to existing organizations who have a track record of working within immigrant communities. And she noted that many people probably live in immigrant-dense neighborhoods but don’t know it.

Emily Hopkins is a Mirror Indy reporter focused on data and accountability. You can reach them on phone or Signal at 317-790-5268 or by email at emily.hopkins@mirrorindy.org. Follow them on most social media @indyemapolis or on Bluesky @emilyhopkins.bsky.social.

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