Signed Into Law: Anti-Immigration SB 76 + Community Response Meeting
Join immigrant-rights organizations on as we discuss the implications and anticipated enforcement of anti-immigration SB 76, and connect with organizations working with impacted communities.
Update on Anti-Immigration Bill, Senate Bill 76
Senate Bill 76 “Immigration matters” was signed into law by Governor Mike Braun on Thursday, March 5, 2026, putting Indiana at the forefront of immigration enforcement.
SB76 is one of the harshest and most draconian pieces of legislation Indiana has seen in recent history. This bill, at its core, mandates immigration enforcement, forcing local and state agencies to take on the role of federal immigration agents, whether they want to or not. And mass profit is at the center of it.
With the nation’s largest law enforcement budget, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is quickly directing funding to states like Indiana.
As ICE considers expanding this detention model in Indiana, now is the time to keep organizing.
✅ Immigration Town Hall and Community Action Meeting
Join immigrant-rights organizations as we discuss the implications and anticipated enforcement of anti-immigration SB 76, and connect with organizations working with impacted communities.
📅Saturday, March 21 | ⏰ 10:30AM–12:30PM |📍 Glendale Public Library, Indianapolis, IN
During the first part of the meeting, we will discuss SB 76, and hear from organizers with the Indiana Latino Democratic Caucus (INLDC), Hoosier Asian American Power (HAAP), Fuerza Unida (Fort Wayne), Cosecha Indiana and Love in Action Collective at Common Ground Midtown Church.
The second part of the town hall will provide space for immigrant-rights organizations, allies, and attendees to connect and share information, strategies, and resources. Participants will also learn how to get involved and hear about both immediate and long-term needs as organizations support immigrant communities across the state.
SB 76, Continued…
SB 76 also gives the Indiana Attorney General unprecedented enforcement power by expanding his role (in oversight and through penalties imposed). Portions of the bill are effective now (upon passage) while parts of the bill will go into effect on July 1.
Effective Now:
Public institutions and universities cannot prevent federal immigration authorities from carrying out immigration laws in the state; the Attorney General is empowered to initiate legal action against any body that fails to follow these regulations, which may result in court-ordered injunctions and monetary penalties. (SECTION 5. IC 5-2-18.2-4, IC 5-2-18.2-5, and IC 5-2-18.2-6).
*Miami Correctional Facility Reporting Requirements: this section of the bill requires detailed reporting from the “Intergovernmental Service 2025 Agreement Between ICE and Miami Correctional Facility” effective September 30, 2025 - September 29, 2027. (SECTION 11. IC 11-8-11)
State Immunity, Penalties, Costs & Reporting
The bill’s Fiscal Impact Statement provides an overview of the legislation, outlines the financial implications for government funds and budgets, and identifies the local and state agencies affected.
Built-in Profit = ICE Contracts
*In September 2025, the Indiana Budget Panel approved $15.79 million , requested by the Department of Corrections (DOC) to be used for detention upgrades at Miami Correctional Facility.
ICE detainees held in Miami Correctional Facility guarantee a profit, and as State Representative DeLaney noted, this is not an economic development project, but rather a project to lock people up and expel them for the country.
“Under the agreement, ICE will pay Indiana a per diem rate of $291.94 for each detainee per day — far higher than the $42 per day Indiana pays county sheriffs to house state inmates, and nearly four times the $75 per day cost for current inmates at the Miami Correctional Facility.”
-Indiana Capital Chronicle
Industrial Warehousing & Large-Scale Detention
With mass profit to be made and Indiana at the forefront of immigration enforcement, bills like SB 76 lay the foundation and structure for Trump’s mass deportation agenda, complementing ICE’s massive expansion of detention centers.
Through the purchase of vacant industrial warehouses aka “large-scale detention centers,” ICE will concentrate operations, with the goal to streamline the mass removal of people from the country.
With ICE considering an expansion of this detention model in Indiana, now is the time to keep organizing. See the action items below.
Nearly $40 billion has been earmarked for expansion, including the purchase of eight large-scale detention centers (in addition to existing processing facilities) set to be fully operational by November 30, 2026.
Moving at an unprecedented speed, hundreds if not thousands of people will be picked up, detained, processed and removed with little to no judicial or administrative oversight.
IndyStar: Indianapolis considered for 8,500-bed ICE detention facility
Mandatory Holds = Detention to Deportation Pipeline
SB 76 turns ICE detainers into mandatory holds, requiring agencies to comply with federal detainer requests, regardless of whether the jail has the staff to process these requests or capacity to hold detainees.
Previously, immigration authorities would ask local agencies to hold “potentially dangerous” individuals on ICE detainers for up to 48 hours. Now, anyone local officials determine to be in the country without authorization during booking, are subject to these detainers.
As reported by the Prison Policy Initiative: “traffic stops remain the most common reason for police-initiated contact across all demographics.”
The scenario here explains how this model would play out throughout Indiana.
What can we do to combat and resist right now?
Join us: Immigration Town Hall and Community Action Meeting
Join immigrant-rights organizations as we discuss the implications and anticipated enforcement of anti-immigration SB 76, and connect with organizations working with impacted communities.
📅Saturday, March 21 | ⏰ 10:30AM–12:30PM |📍 Glendale Public Library, Indianapolis, IN
To everyone who continues to show up and stand in solidarity with communities affected by these laws, thank you! We appreciate you working with us and following the lead of reputable organizations who have been leading the way for years around immigrant rights.
To name a few:
La Casa De Amistad - South Bend, Indiana
Su Casa - Seymour, Indiana
Exodus Refugee Immigration
Fuerza Unida - Fort Wayne, Indiana
Indiana Undocumented Youth Alliance + Rapid Response Team
La Plaza - Indianapolis, Indiana
These organizations were doing the work before these administrations and they’ll continue doing the work after these administrations. This is not an exhaustive list, and will continue to grow.
📢 Register to Vote!📢
If you are a U.S. Citizen and are otherwise eligible, voting is one of the ways you can stand up and fight back, particularly in local and county elections where people are elected into office by a few hundred votes, sometimes even dozens of votes. This is particularly important if you live in a smaller / rural county.
Often, local positions like the County Sheriff have the most discretion in how these laws are enforced. Other examples include:
Council Members / City Mayors:
City Councils can adopt resolutions in opposition to ICE facilities, like the Merrillville Town Council in Indiana did, January 2026.
City Councils approve budgets, which at times include funding for the immigrant community, like the Immigrant Legal Services Fund in Marion County, Indiana.
County Councils can refuse to grant ICE facilities local permits, licensing or other approvals, like Kansas, City in Missouri did, January 2026.
City Commissioners:
County commissioners can oppose ICE expansions and plans to convert warehouses into ICE detention facilities, like Orange County, Florida did, March 2026.
Rest and Recharge
The work continues, and this year we’ll keep showing up, learning, and supporting one another. Take time to rest, be with community, and restore your strength, we’ll need your energy for the journey and encouragement ahead. Together, we will keep moving forward for the future our community deserves.
Thank you and see you soon! ❤️
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