Outside U.S. Sen. Todd Young’s office, children sang.
“This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine!”
Their voices rang out from under the cover of their parents’ umbrellas. Most of the city was inside, waiting for the Pacers playoff game to tip off. But this group, about 50 strong, stood in the rain outside the East 96th Street office and prayed for the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia — and for Republican leaders to have a change of heart.
“Go tell Donald Trump,” the kids sang, “I’m gonna let it shine!”
The Maryland man, who was wrongfully deported to a prison in El Salvador, has yet to be returned, even with a U.S. Supreme Court order on his side. Abrego Garcia has been held there for two months, despite three courts ordering the administration to take steps to bring him back to the U.S.
To the protestors, his case represents the cruelty of the second Trump administration’s immigration policies — and a warning of what could be next if due process isn’t upheld.
They also have concerns about their own community, where U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has started using the local jail to detain hundreds of immigrants, sometimes for months at a time. The move shows how even Democrat-run Indianapolis is playing a role in Trump’s promise to carry out the “largest deportation operation” in American history.
“We have clients they’re trying to move to third countries, places where they have no family or support,” said Jordan Paicely, a local immigration attorney. “We’re praying the courts stop this and bring these people home.”
His firm, Muñoz Legal LLC, is representing several people detained by ICE in the Marion County Jail. Since the inauguration, they said, the fear has become palpable.
Monica Kennedy, a nurse navigator, has noticed it, too.
“A lot of my patients are afraid to show up to their appointments,” the 32-year-old told Mirror Indy. “We call them or their emergency contacts and the lines are disconnected.”
She carried a sign with the final words of the Pledge of Allegiance: “With Liberty and Justice for All.”
“I want them to know their health care workers are fighting for them,” Kennedy said. “We are not going to betray them.”
She joined the group in praying for Young, asking the Republican senator to stand up to Trump. They also called on Gov. Mike Braun, also a Republican, to reverse his recent immigration policies, including an executive order demanding state law enforcement agencies cooperate with ICE.
“We pray that our leaders will seek the best for all people,” they said, bowing their heads, “that our systems of government would reflect your peace and love.”
Young and his staff were invited to the event, per the organizers, but did not attend. A spokesperson said the senator is watching Abrego Garcia’s case play out.
“(Young) is confident that the Justice Department and the courts will ultimately resolve the issue,” his office wrote in a May 20 email to Mirror Indy.
At an event in Bloomington last month, the Indiana Daily Student reported that Young said “deporting criminals” should not be controversial. When pressed by an audience member, he later said immigrants should have due process.
In Indianapolis, speakers called on the crowd to contact their representatives. And they issued a stark warning: asylum seekers and people with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals — Dreamers — could be next to lose their status.
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That issue has been on the Rev. Ronny Etienne’s mind for months.
The 52-year-old leads services at Grace Tabernacle First Haitian Church of the Nazarene on the east side. The majority of his congregation fled gang violence in Haiti and obtained Temporary Protective Status, which allows them to reside and work in the United States during the humanitarian crisis.
The Haitian Association of Indiana estimates anywhere between 20,000 and 30,000 Haitians now live in Indianapolis.
Under President Joe Biden, temporary protections for the community were extended. That’s been reversed by the Trump administration, which announced those protections will expire for Haitians on Aug. 3. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said the status was being “abused and exploited by illegal aliens.”
Etienne disagrees.
“If they return to Haiti, they will be killed,” the pastor told Mirror Indy. “It is a death sentence.”
Members of the church have already received letters asking them to self-deport, Etienne said. He was late to the protest because there was so much to do: collecting food, finding places for families to stay and preaching the gospel.
Sometimes, when he’s driving, he prays for Trump.
Mirror Indy, a nonprofit newsroom, is funded through grants and donations from individuals, foundations and organizations.
Mirror Indy reporter Mary Claire Molloy covers health. Reach her at 317-721-7648 or email maryclaire.molloy@mirrorindy.org. Follow her on X @mcmolloy7.
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