Monroe County sheriff files a lawsuit against Indiana immigration law

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (WISH) – Monroe County Sheriff Ruben Marté is suing Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita in relation to the passing of Senate Bill 76. The lawsuit was filed Wednesday.

Senate Bill 76, signed into law in March, would require schools, police, and local governments to coordinate and cooperate with federal immigration officials.

The complaint says that Senate Bill 76 “would require Marté to violate the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution because the law mandates that he and his officers detain individuals subject to a federal immigration detainer request without a judicial warrant or probable cause that the individuals have committed any crime.”

Marté said in the complaint that he “cannot order his officers to comply with SEA 76 without violating
his oath to protect and uphold the Constitution and exposing the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office
(“MCSO”) to significant civil liability from suits by individuals whose rights would be violated
by the unlawful detentions.”

Marté created a policy for his deputies to not follow U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainment requests without a judicial warrant.

The complaint says that the new law would make Marté “and his officers detain individuals subject to a federal immi...