BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Monroe County Sheriff Ruben Marté is pushing back against a lawsuit filed by Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita that targets the county's immigration policy.
"My office takes seriously our obligation to enforce the laws while respecting everyone’s constitutional rights," Sheriff Marté said in a statement. "Our Standard Operating Procedure does exactly that. We are prepared to defend vigorously the policy in court."
Rokita filed the lawsuit in Monroe Circuit Court in July, claiming the county is violating state law by "limiting or restricting the enforcement of federal immigration laws."
Specifically, Rokita targets part of the policy that states people will not be held in jail because of request from federal immigration officials.
Marté cites the 4th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which states:
“The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.”
“The attorney general’s argument to the contrary directly conflicts with a 2021 ruling from the Indiana Court of Appeals,” Marté said.
The Sheriff’s Office is represented by attorneys from the Monroe County Legal Department and the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection at Georgetown University Law Center.
