By Michael Katz | Friday, July 10, 2026, 10:27 p.m. EDT
Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested at least 28 people this week during a sweep operation in southern Indiana.
The Clarksville Police Department confirmed that ICE used its headquarters as a staging area earlier this week. Detainees were held in Clark County Jail.
Neighbors reported significant ICE presence outside the Home Depot in Clarksville on Wednesday, but activity had minimalized by Friday.
Clarksville Police Chief Nathan Walls stated that ICE or an agency acting on behalf of ICE had been in town. He said the Clarksville Police 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 the department as a “rendezvous point.”
“We had no involvement in what they did yesterday as a department,” Walls said. “My officers won’t be a part of, you know, casting a net over some area and just rounding up people.”
The 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 being held there Thursday afternoon. By Thursday evening, the number increased to at least six individuals, all listed as having been arrested by ICE.
Local officials confirmed they had not been made aware of any ICE operations. Sgt. Anthony Aussieker of the Evansville Police Department stated that local police had “not been made aware of any ICE operations.” He referenced previous statements from Police Chief Phil Smith, who has emphasized that immigration enforcement is a federal matter.
Vanderburgh County Sheriff Noah Robinson stated his office was not involved and did not know which outside jurisdiction was assisting. “Our involvement with ICE is limited to the statutorily required obligation to honor immigration detainers at our jail,” he said. “We have no agreement, contract, or informal partnership with ICE.”
