Legal representation from the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana filed a complaint Friday on behalf of Exodus Refugee Immigration, a nonprofit Indianapolis-based agency that aids refugees and immigrants. Exodus also maintains an office in Bloomington.
The complaint is against an investigation led by Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita and the civil investigative demand Exodus received Sept. 8. The CID seeks to subpoena information from Exodus to investigate the organization’s role in alleged labor trafficking and interference with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The CID is one of several investigations into “concerns about the largescale influx of illegal aliens and ‘legal migrants’” in Indiana, according to a November 2024 press release from the attorney general’s office. Several organizations in Evansville, Logansport and Seymour were sent CIDs in November, including the Tent Partnership for Refugees, Cass County Health Department, Logansport Community School Corporation, Berry Global Group, Inc. and the Jackson County Industrial Development Corporation.
A CID issued to the God is Good Foundation, an Evansville-based organization that assists refugees, resulted in the foundation halting its efforts in aiding refugees, according to the ACLU complaint.
“I’m creatively trying to use every tool in the law to stop the Left’s intentional destruction of Indiana,” Rokita said in the release.
A Sept. 8 press release from the attorney general said Rokita’s investigation into Exodus came after ICE informed the attorney general’s office that, “a recent ICE operation in Monroe County faced numerous challenges as a result of what may have been a coordinated effort by entities in Bloomington to help illegal aliens evade apprehension.”
The ACLU’s complaint stated the CID violates Exodus’ First Amendment right to expression and association. According to the complaint, the CID demanded 39 interrogatories and 28 requests for documents, including information on participating refugees’ and immigrants’ housing, careers and mental health status. Much of this information was given to Exodus under the agreement that it would remain confidential, and the complaint states much of the information falls under lawyer-client privilege.
The ACLU complaint said this kind of investigation would “greatly strain the limited resources of Exodus and would reduce its ability to communicate and associate with its clients and provide services.”
Exodus alleged that the CID was ordered without reasonable cause and stated in the complaint that they have complied with all state and federal laws. The complaint argued that Exodus is being targeted “not because it has behaved unlawfully but because of its association with immigrants and refugees, the advocacy efforts on behalf of its clients, and the communications it has had with its clients and on their behalf.”
Exodus’ legal representation requested a preliminary injunction be made to cease any enforcement of the CID until the case is settled or goes to trial. The CID demanded a response from Exodus by Sept. 29.
