The Hammond Common Council has approved a resolution banning federal immigration authorities from using city property for enforcement efforts less than a week after immigration officers were told to leave the city’s police department parking lot.
The council passed the resolution at its Tuesday meeting.
According to a Facebook post from Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr., the resolution prohibits the “uncoordinated use” of city properties for ICE to use as “staging areas, processing locations, or operations centers.”
McDermott posted in support of the resolution, thanking the council for the proposal and passage.
“If ICE wishes to conduct such operations, they can — and should — use their own federal property, such as the nearby Hammond Federal Courthouse,” McDermott said in his post. “There’s absolutely no reason to involve our city or drag Hammond into ICE’s unconstitutional actions.”
In the council’s resolution, it says Hammond is committed to ensuring safety, dignity and human rights of all residents, “regardless of race, religion, immigration status or national origin.”
The resolution also references the recent actions at the Hammond Police Department facility, where ICE agents tried to use the parking lot without any prior notice or coordination. The city and police department have previously collaborated with county, state and federal law enforcement partners to complete duties, according to the resolution.
“…the unauthorized and uncoordinated use of City resources, property, or personnel to facilitate civil immigration enforcement interferes with the City’s authority over, and its use of, its own resources, property, and personnel…” the resolution said. “This resolution does not restrict or interfere with the execution of lawful judicial warrants or the enforcement of criminal law by ICE or any other agency and does not apply to any property subject to an existing lease or other agreement for lawful use of city property.”
According to Post-Tribune archives, officers saw ICE agents setting up in the police department parking lot at about 6:54 a.m. Oct. 9, and they were “immediately informed” by city officials that they weren’t authorized to stage operations on city property. McDermott said in a previous statement that agents complied and relocated.
McDermott said in a Thursday afternoon text message that he hasn’t heard anything “formally” from state or federal government officials about the city’s actions.
“Let me be clear: Hammond does not have any agreements or partnerships with ICE that authorize them to use our city’s facilities or property for their operations,” McDermott said in a previous statement.
Protests against President Donald Trump’s administration’s immigration policies by ICE agents in the Chicago areea have escalated, according to Post-Tribune archives, specifically in the Cook County village of Broadview. The Trump administration also deployed the Texas National Guard after “a series of intense confrontations” between protestors and agents involved in “Operation Midway Blitz,” the mass deportation mission that also includes Lake County, Indiana.
According to Post-Tribune archives, Hammond Police Spokesman Steve Kellogg said that the department was advised by the Hammond Law Department that no agreement exists with ICE.
McDermott wasn’t the only Lake County official who spoke out against ICE last week. East Chicago Mayor Anthony Copeland and Gary Mayor Eddie Melton both made public statements following ICE activity in Northwest Indiana.
Copeland said East Chicago’s police will not partner with immigration enforcement, according to prior Post-Tribune reporting, but ICE doesn’t say when or where they’re conducting arrests.
ICE agents were set up in the publicly accessible part of the East Chicago Police Department’s parking lot, according to Post-Tribune archives, after Copeland’s office saw a video of agents conducting an arrest.
“(Oct. 9) will be remembered as the day that tested my resolve,” Copeland previously said. “We want to be clear: The East Chicago Police Department is not involved in any operations with ICE. We have not coordinated, supported, or participated in any immigration enforcement actions, and no information has been shared with ICE regarding such manners. Our department’s parking facility is open to the public and may occasionally be used by other law enforcement entities. However, their presence does not indicate cooperation or endorsement.”
In a Friday morning statement, Melton urged Gary residents to “remain calm, prioritize safety, and be informed of their rights,” according to a City of Gary Government Facebook post. Melton’s administration doesn’t support the efforts or actions of ICE raids that target people because of their race and ethnicity, he said.
In Gary, an ICE vehicle got into a collision after attempting to conduct a traffic stop on a man early Monday morning in the 300 block of Clark Road. Gary Police said ICE filed an accident report with them, alleging that the man put his car in gear and rammed one of their vehicles when he fled.
In his statement, Melton encouraged citizens to look out for each other, and provided various guidance for residents, including to prioritize safety, know their rights, don’t open doors unless agents show a warrant signed by a judge and to seek legal aid if they or someone they know is detained.
“While the Gary Police Department cannot legally interfere with the operations of a federal agency, our commitment remains to the safety and civil rights of every person who calls Gary home,” Melton said. “Our police officers are here to protect all residents and enforce local laws, and they will continue to serve our community with dignity and respect for all people. … Gary is a city built on the foundation of the fight for human dignity and civil rights.”
