Unannounced ICE Sweep in Southern Indiana Detains Over 28 Individuals

Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested at least 28 people this week during a sweep operation in southern Indiana.

The Clarksville Police Department confirmed Friday that federal agents used its headquarters as a staging area earlier this week. Reports indicated the detainees were being held in Clark County Jail.

Neighbors reported significant ICE presence outside a Home Depot in Clarksville on Wednesday, though activity was minimal by Friday. Sources stated many Hispanic workers regularly gather there seeking work.

Clarksville Police Chief Nathan Walls confirmed Thursday that ICE or an agency acting on behalf of ICE had been in town. He said the department was not notified of any immigration-related operation on Wednesday.

Walls added that although none of the detainees were held or questioned at the Clarksville Police Department, federal officers used it as a “rendezvous point.”

“We had no involvement in what they did yesterday as a department,” Walls stated. “My officers won’t be part of casting a net over some area and just rounding up people.”

The Clarksville operation coincided with reports that several Evansville, Indiana residents were booked into a Kentucky jail after ICE arrests. Evansville is about 120 miles west of Clarksville along the Ohio River.

Online bookings at the Hopkins County Jail in Madisonville, Kentucky showed three men with Evansville addresses held there Thursday afternoon, adding to at least three others booked Wednesday. All had ICE listed as the arresting agency.

News of an ICE operation in Evansville began on social media early Thursday afternoon. A post claimed stops occurred on Washington Avenue and South Riverside Drive, with local law enforcement assisting.

An Evansville Police Department spokesman, Sgt. Anthony Aussieker, told reporters that local police were “not made aware of any ICE operations.” He cited previous statements from Police Chief Phil Smith, who has emphasized immigration enforcement is a federal matter, not a local one.

Vanderburgh County Sheriff Noah Robinson confirmed his office was not involved and stated they have no agreement with ICE beyond the statutorily required obligation to honor immigration detainers at their jail.

Newsmax has contacted ICE for comment.