Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Indiana Attorney General Sues Indianapolis Public Schools Over ICE Access Policies

The filing seeks a preliminary injunction under the state’s anti‑sanctuary statute to force the district to cooperate with federal immigration requests.

Overview

  • Attorney General Todd Rokita filed the case in Marion Superior Court, with the America First Policy Institute serving as special counsel.
  • The suit challenges IPS directives including a 2017 resolution advising staff not to assist immigration enforcement unless legally required, limits on sharing immigration‑status information, and a stance against allowing ICE on campus without a warrant.
  • The complaint cites a Jan. 8 incident in which ICE asked IPS to help a father take custody of his IPS‑student son before a scheduled deportation flight, and it remains unclear whether the pair ultimately left the country.
  • Rokita argues the district’s rules are more restrictive than federal law and violate Indiana Code 5‑2‑18.2, while referencing FERPA provisions that can allow limited disclosure and the possibility of consented campus access.
  • The IPS board defends its policies as protecting safe, supportive schools, condemns the lawsuit as political, and the state teachers union warns that using schools for immigration enforcement undermines trust.