BLOOMINGTON – The Monroe County Democratic Party stands firmly behind Sheriff Ruben Marté, whose actions in the case of Manuel Lopez Lopez were entirely consistent with state and federal law, constitutional rights, and local judicial orders. The recent attacks from Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita are not only legally unsound, they are politically motivated and dangerous.
Let’s be clear: Sheriff Marté followed the law. ICE submitted a Request for Advance Notification of Release for Mr. Lopez, and they received that notification. Contrary to what Attorney General Rokita has implied, there was no judicial request or order to detain Lopez. If ICE considered Mr. Lopez such a threat, why did they allow him to remain in the country for years before acting? There seems to be no shortage of ICE resources when it comes to tearing nonviolent immigrants away from their families and communities; yet in this case, there was no such urgency to act. If ICE truly believed Mr. Lopez posed a threat, why didn’t they prioritize his removal? This contradiction underscores the political nature of Rokita’s attacks, not a genuine concern for public safety.
AG Rokita’s statements are misleading in two major respects. First, he falsely suggests that immigration detainers are mandatory. They are not. These requests are not backed by judicial warrants, and law enforcement is not legally required to honor them. Second, Rokita fails to mention that detaining an individual past their court-ordered release date, simply based on an ICE request, can violate that person’s Fourth Amendment rights under the U.S. Constitution.
Sheriff Marté was faced with a legal and constitutional reality: a Monroe County judge ordered Mr. Lopez’s release. Holding him beyond that order, without a judicial warrant, would have exposed Monroe County to civil liability, including lawsuits that have cost other counties across the country millions of dollars. In Roy v. County of Los Angeles, for example, the county paid $14 million to settle claims arising from similar unconstitutional detentions.
There are different types of ICE requests. The one filed in this case was not a judicially enforceable warrant. It was a nonbinding immigration detainer – a request, not a mandate. Law enforcement may choose to notify ICE of an individual’s release, but cannot constitutionally delay that release without legal authority. Sheriff Marté appropriately notified ICE as requested. He also appropriately complied with a judicial release order. That is what the law requires. That is what integrity demands.
Let’s not lose sight of what this case is actually about: violence against women. Full stop. Mr. Lopez should be prosecuted and held fully accountable for the harm he has caused, and nothing Sheriff Marté did prevents that accountability. Republicans like Todd Rokita are trying to turn this tragedy into political theater. They want to weaponize law enforcement to serve a white nationalist agenda, while simultaneously ignoring the real policies that would protect women and families. Where is Rokita when Democrats are pushing for fully funded survivor services, domestic violence prevention programs, or community-based interventions? Nowhere.
This attack on Sheriff Marté is a distraction. It is meant to divide our community and deflect blame from the extremists in the Statehouse who are stripping Hoosiers of their rights, dignity, and safety.
We will not be baited. We will not allow our law enforcement leaders to be turned into political pawns. We stand with Sheriff Ruben Marté. We stand with survivors. And we stand with the Constitution.
