Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita says he plans to take legal action against communities with "sanctuary city" policies.
A state law passed this year officially allows the attorney general to take action to enforce the state's ban on "sanctuary cities," after a 2022 Indiana Supreme Court decision ruled that citizens didn't have standing to challenge Gary's "welcoming city" ordinance.
Now, Rokita says he plans to pursue legal action after the new law takes effect July 1. He says his office has sent letters to the leaders of East Chicago, Gary, West Lafayette and Monroe County — urging them to repeal their policies or face legal action.
A group of four Democratic state senators, including Lonnie Randolph and David Vinzant, issued a response to Rokita's statement Friday. They dismissed it as a ploy "to take advantage of Hoosiers, threaten minority groups, and misrepresent our communities for his own political gain." They added that Rokita "is welcome to prove his case in a court of law."
