Gov. Braun supports Camp Atterbury ICE detention facility

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Gov. Mike Braun said he doesn’t expect problems with conditions at a planned ICE detention facility at Camp Atterbury in Johnson County.

According to immigrant rights groups, migrants held at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facilities have reported significant overcrowding and limited access to food and medical care. Braun told reporters he wouldn’t support the use of Camp Atterbury for a new temporary facility if he didn’t believe those conditions could be avoided there. Camp Atterbury is a federal installation managed by the Indiana National Guard.

“I’ve been clear, I’m for helping remove criminals after they came in here illegally. And some of the egregious ones, we’d all agree with,” the Republican governor said. “So if we’ve got a facility, we’re going to be helpful, because I’ve been on record in support of that.”

In an interview with News 8 for Sunday’s “All INdiana Politics,” U.S. Rep. André Carson, D-Indiana, said he’s still trying to figure out whether ICE or the Indiana National Guard would have primary responsibility for the day-to-day running of the facility. He said the Indiana National Guard already is responsible for daily operations at Camp Atterbury and the facility likely will involve some level of cooperation between the guard and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

“(Camp Atterbury) has been used on a temporary basis, as we know, for emergency response needs. But deportation policies are not an emergency,” he said. “As a former law enforcement officer, I know there are bad actors who need to be held accountable. That’s not what’s happening. What’s happening is, families are being ripped apart, folks are being unfairly targeted for minor infractions or no infractions at all.”

“All INdiana Politics” airs at 9:30 a.m. Sunday on WISH-TV.

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