By Sydney Byerly
The Indiana Citizen
August 13, 2025
Merrillville, Indiana — Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith told a packed town hall crowd Tuesday night that undocumented immigrants “do not get constitutional rights,” doubling down on a claim that ignited controversy when he made similar remarks in Terre Haute.
“Everybody has a natural, God-given right to life and liberty — every single person on the face of the earth,” he told the audience at the Marine Corps League Tun Tavern in Merrillville. “Americans have constitutional rights that are given to citizens. You do not get constitutional rights if you’re here illegally. There’s a process.”
Beckwith’s comments came the week after he’d said in Terre Haute that undocumented immigrants “don’t have a right to see a judge.” President Donald Trump’s administration plans to house Immigrations and Customs Enforcement detainees at Indiana’s Camp Atterbury, the Indiana Capital Chronicle reported.
Trump is set to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday in Alaska — a meeting Beckwith nodded at when he compared the United States’ response to migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border to what would happen if “Russia invaded Alaska tomorrow.”
Beckwith, a Republican, said he does see the United States as a refuge for people in danger, but only through lawful channels.
“I want there to be asylum that people in the world can go through to come here and find refuge. I think that’s a very loving thing. America should always be that … but there has to be a process,” he said.
At times, the back-and-forth grew tense. One attendee shouted, “So you’d send them all back?”
Beckwith replied, “I’m saying we can be compassionate without being lawless.”
One man interrupted Beckwith to ask how denying constitutional protections could be “loving,” prompting Beckwith to pause and turn toward him.
“How is it loving? Absolutely it is — because there is a process,” he said. “Absolutely, and a due process. If you’re legal and you have legal residency, you have a process to walk through and be protected by the Constitution — everything this beautiful flag represents.”
He said the United States was “invaded” during President Joe Biden’s four years in office. “You cannot come here illegally,” he said.
A few heads shook, and one woman near the back of the room called out, “That’s not the same thing,” while others clapped in agreement.
Beckwith’s two-hour town hall in Merrillville came as he and his staff seek to visit all 92 of Indiana’s counties. It’s a sharp contrast with Indiana’s other statewide elected officials who rarely attend open public forums — and the turnout reflected intense interest in the event. The parking lot overflowed, with some attendees leaving their cars on the grassy roadside near the venue.
After the event, Beckwith, who is also a pastor at Life Church in Noblesville, told The Indiana Citizen that the town hall, with a number of raucous exchanges, had been “great” and “full of passion.”
“Being a pastor, you kind of know when to just let people vent,” he said. “There are a few people I let go for quite a while because they sort of needed to be heard … I also got some good ideas to take back to the Statehouse.”
While immigration was the subject of some of the most heated exchanges Tuesday night, Beckwith fielded questions about a number of other issues — including redistricting, education, toll roads and abortion access.
In response to questions about curriculum and school priorities, Beckwith said he opposes what he called “progressive social agendas” in public schools. He criticized what he described as “creeping leftist ideology” in education and said competition among schools “drives better outcomes for students.”
He told one questioner, “If you want different policies, bring better ideas to the ballot box.”
On abortion, Beckwith reiterated his support for exceptions when the mother’s life is in danger — calling those cases “battlefield triage” — and in cases of rape, while advocating for stronger penalties for rapists.
“If a man rapes a woman and she becomes pregnant, that man should be charged with first-degree murder as well as rape,” he said.
He told attendees he is “all ears” if medical providers believe Indiana law needs clarification to ensure doctors can act quickly in life-threatening pregnancies.
Beckwith was also asked about how toll road revenue is being used and about gas tax rates. He did not commit to specific changes but said, “I’ll evaluate whether toll road revenues are being used in the most efficient way to benefit Hoosiers.”
Sydney Byerly is a political reporter who grew up in New Albany, Indiana. Before joining The Citizen, Sydney reported news for TheStatehouseFile.com and most recently managed and edited The Corydon Democrat & Clarion News in southern Indiana. She earned her bachelor’s in journalism at Franklin College’s Pulliam School of Journalism (‘Sco Griz!).
The Indiana Citizen is a nonpartisan, nonprofit platform dedicated to increasing the number of informed and engaged Hoosier citizens. We are operated by the Indiana Citizen Education Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)(3) public charity. For questions about the story, contact Marilyn Odendahl at marilyn.odendahl@indianacitizen.org.
