Braun says he’ll follow Trump’s lead on deportation, plans to keep National Guard troops at border

As President Donald Trump’s administration ramps up widespread deportation efforts, Gov. Mike Braun ordered Indiana law enforcement agencies to follow any immigration directives issued by the federal government.

Braun, whom Trump endorsed, joined a chorus of Republican governors signaling support for the immigration plan. In an executive order signed Tuesday, Braun ordered all law enforcement agencies to fully cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and to report evidence of illegal immigration. This is already required under Indiana law.

Braun also said he intends to keep members of the Indiana National Guard stationed at the U.S.-Mexico border and extend their deployment, but he did not say for how long. In February, former Gov. Eric Holcomb deployed 50 National Guard members to the country’s southern border at the request of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. At the time, the Indiana Capital Chronicle reported the 10-month mission would cost the state $7.1 million.

Lawmakers in other conservative states have explored stricter immigration enforcement. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee is proposing a state immigration agency; Mississippi is mulling over paying bounty hunters to find immigrants living in the country illegally; and Texas is deploying law enforcement “tactical strike teams” to find and arrest immigrants with active warrants who are living here illegally.

In his first week, Trump declared a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border, announced efforts to end birthright citizenship and rolled back several of Biden’s executive orders regarding immigration. Trump’s call to action trickles down to state and local leaders, asking them to assist and not interfere with federal actions. Last week, the U.S. Department of Justice ordered federal prosecutors to investigate and charge downstream officials who interfere with immigration efforts.

After Trump lifted a policy barring deportation arrests at churches and schools, multiple school districts, including Indianapolis Public Schools, said they would not allow ICE agents to enter school grounds without a judicial warrant.

When asked about immigration policy related to schools, Braun said his policy would reflect that of the federal government.

“I’m not getting anything directly from the federal government on doing that,” he said.

As for how to pay for the additional workload on local police departments, Braun said some agencies are already managing and that he doesn’t “think this is going to be much of a cost early on.”

Braun’s policy agenda supports ending sanctuary cities, which are municipalities that pass ordinances to limit information-sharing with ICE, in the state’s borders and streamlining collaboration between local, state and federal efforts regarding illegal immigration.

The state Legislature banned sanctuary city ordinances last year, and Attorney General Todd Rokita has filed lawsuits against Indiana cities he believes are not cooperating or fall short of Indiana law.

This year, Indiana lawmakers have introduced bills to require sheriffs to enter into an agreement with ICE, expand notification of arrestees who are potentially in the country illegally and establish a grant program to support law enforcement with immigration enforcement.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to clarify that Braun intends to extend the Indiana National Guard’s deployment to the U.S.-Mexico border, but he did not say for how long.