At least 28 people were detained by ICE during a two-day enforcement operation in Clark County, Indiana, and the ripple effects turned an entire community into a ghost town. Restaurants shut down, Home Depot parking lots emptied out, and an immigrant services organization that normally has appointments booked solid for weeks suddenly found itself dealing with a wave of cancellations. The American Tribune covered the story as local reporting by WAVE confirmed the details.
The operation took place between Wednesday and Thursday, with the Clarksville Police Department confirming that federal agents used its headquarters as a staging area. Nothing says "we are here on official business" quite like setting up shop at the local police station. Neighbors and community organizations reported seeing a noticeable increase in federal presence in the area over recent days.
Noe Muñoz, owner of El Mañanero Breakfast Spot on Eastern Boulevard, closed his restaurant Thursday because his customer base essentially vanished overnight. "I know there was a lot of fear yesterday and the day before with ICE," Muñoz told WAVE. "My customers, I mean, they don't want to go out." He said people were afraid to even drive because they believed motorists were being pulled over and profiled.
Muñoz also raised an interesting geographic observation. He said he had never seen a Corydon police officer performing traffic stops in Clarksville, which is notable because Corydon is more than 20 miles away. WAVE reported that the Corydon Police Department is the only police department in southern Indiana enrolled in a program to act on behalf of ICE. So apparently these officers were putting some real mileage on the cruiser to get involved.
Neighbors also reported a significant ICE presence outside the Home Depot in Clarksville on Wednesday, where sources said many Latino workers would go looking for jobs. By Friday, that crowd had reportedly disappeared. Muñoz said some of his regular customers simply never came back. "There has been customers that I haven't seen," he told WAVE. He said when people asked around, the answers were grim: "No, they got deported," or "I got a hold of them and we don't know, like they're still detained."
Lillian Rose, president of Hispanic Connection of Southern Indiana, said the organization has worked with approximately 11,000 immigrant families over the past 25 years. She told WAVE the group normally has appointments booked two to three weeks out, but recent weeks brought a flood of cancellations from clients too afraid to leave home.
Rose pointed out something that bureaucracy enthusiasts will appreciate: legal and immigration deadlines do not pause just because ICE is conducting operations. "These processes continue," Rose said. "You know, they don't care if ICE is out there." She added that missing deadlines means all the money spent and progress made goes to waste. The organization is now exploring mobile and virtual service options, because apparently the only thing that can modernize a nonprofit's service delivery model faster than a pandemic is a federal enforcement sweep.
Rose said she is retiring from the organization but hopes families will continue to use its services. Law enforcement had not responded to requests for comment by the time of the report.
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