We call on the Fort Wayne City Council and Allen County Commissioners to take immediate action by adopting protections that prevent collaboration with ICE and end the targeting of immigrant communities.

Immigrants are not a threat—they are our neighbors, essential workers, and family. It’s time for Fort Wayne to affirm that we are a city rooted in dignity, not fear.

We, the undersigned, demand that Fort Wayne and Allen County leadership take meaningful steps to protect immigrant families by enacting the following measures:

1. Prohibit collaboration with ICE.

Pass binding local policies that clearly ban law enforcement and public agencies from voluntarily assisting in immigration enforcement—including providing information, coordinating arrests, or allowing ICE access to individuals in custody.

We call for full transparency on any past or existing cooperation and a public declaration that Fort Wayne will not be complicit in separating families or fueling federal deportation efforts.

2. Affirm sanctuary principles.

Fort Wayne must be a place where all people—regardless of immigration status—can live, work, and raise families without fear of being detained or deported.

We demand city and county agencies implement policies that explicitly forbid harassment, racial profiling, or targeting based on perceived immigration status, including during routine traffic stops, school interactions, or public service access.

Silence is not neutrality—it is complicity.

3. End local participation in immigration enforcement programs.

Cease all involvement in programs—formal or informal—that criminalize immigrants, including 287(g) agreements, ICE detainers, and jail transfers requested without judicial warrants.

We demand a full audit and public disclosure of any policies or procedures that allow local agencies to act on behalf of federal immigration enforcement, and a firm commitment to dismantling those systems.

4. Establish a community-led immigrant protection task force.

Create an independent task force made up of immigrant residents, advocates, legal experts, and impacted families to monitor city and county actions, recommend policy, and investigate abuses.

This body must have access to data, a public reporting process, and the ability to hold institutions accountable when immigrant rights are violated.

5. Defend our communities against HEA 1393.

HEA 1393 isn’t just policy—it’s a threat to our safety.

Effective July 1, 2025, this Indiana law mandates that local jails and law enforcement report suspected undocumented individuals to ICE—even for low-level offenses—and removes the option of issuing a summons in many of these cases.

This law increases the risk of racial profiling, encourages unnecessary arrests, and forces local agencies to act as extensions of federal immigration enforcement. We demand that:

Fort Wayne Police Department and the Allen County Sheriff’s Department publicly clarify that they will not arrest individuals solely based on perceived immigration status or use lack of documentation as “probable cause.”
Local officials limit information sharing to only what is legally required and refuse to go beyond the minimum compliance allowed under HEA 1393.
City and County leaders publicly denounce this law and affirm that Fort Wayne will not aid in the criminalization or dehumanization of immigrant communities.

We are not asking for favors—we are demanding justice. We will not be silent while our neighbors are hunted. We will not trade our dignity for compliance. We will protect each other, because Fort Wayne is ours too.

Fort Wayne is not your prey.

¡Aquí estamos, y no nos vamos!