Indiana Senate Passes Bill Requiring Jails to Notify ICE

He insists the bill only applies to people already under arrest, not routine traffic stops.

Indiana Statehouse — Source: PHOTO: Raymond Boyd/Getty Images

STATEHOUSE — The Indiana Senate just passed a bill that would require jail staff to let sheriffs know if they think someone arrested for a crime is in the country illegally. From there, sheriffs would have to notify ICE.

The bill passed 37-10, but not before a key change—Sen. Aaron Freeman shifted the responsibility from arresting officers to jail staff, saying it keeps patrol officers out of immigration enforcement.

“I amended the bill because I do not want to put law enforcement in a position of even being able to pull somebody over in order to detain somebody just because someone may not be here legally,” Freeman said.

He insists the bill only applies to people already under arrest, not routine traffic stops. But critics, like Sen. Fady Qaddoura, say it could make people afraid to call the police, even if they’re here legally.

Sen. Scott Baldwin, a former police officer, says jail staff would need solid reasons—like no ID or fake documents—to report someone.

The bill now goes back to the House, and Freeman expects them to approve the changes before it reaches Gov. Mike Braun.

This is part of a broader push for tougher state immigration laws. Another bill, HB 1531, would let the attorney general defend officers sued over immigration enforcement. Some stricter proposals didn’t make it through.