By Sydney Byerly
The Indiana Citizen
August 3, 2026
FISHERS, Ind. — Hundreds of demonstrators marched through downtown Fishers Saturday, chanting “No hate, no fear; Immigrants are welcome here,” as they protested a nearby rally promoting mass deportations that featured Indiana Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith and former U.S. Border Patrol Commander-at-Large Greg Bovino.
The demonstrators were part of the Hoosier Hospitality March, organized by Fishers Resist and several partnering groups, served as a counterpoint to the Save Heritage Indiana’s Mass Deportation Rally also held in Fishers on Saturday evening. While the protestors at the march walked openly in public spaces and did not try to hide their participation, the attendees to the rally were not identified, the location of the event was undisclosed and organizers granted press access to only two unnamed news outlets.
Both Beckwith and Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita delivered pre-recorded remarks, but were not scheduled to appear in person at the rally. Organizers said Bovino was to attend and speak to the rally goers.
The competing events transformed downtown Fishers into the latest front in Indiana’s increasingly contentious debate over immigration, with one group calling for stricter enforcement and mass deportations while the other urged Hoosiers to reject what participants described as fear and hatred directed toward immigrants and refugees.
After gathering at Holland Park, demonstrators marched a loop through downtown Fishers to the Nickel Plate District Amphitheater, chanting, “Love not hate makes America great,” as people driving by honked their support.
Before the march began, state Sen. Fady Qaddoura, D-Indianapolis, told the crowd that the rally was about more than immigration policy, arguing it reflected a broader test of Indiana’s values.
He said Hoosiers should reject efforts to divide communities through fear and intolerance, drawing a historical parallel to the Ku Klux Klan’s influence in Indiana during the 1920s.
“Groups may change their slogans, uniforms or messaging,” Qaddoura said, “but they can still rely on the same playbook.”
He noted that Indiana was once home to one of the nation’s largest and most influential Klan organizations, which similarly wrapped its message in appeals to morality, religion and patriotism.
Qaddoura urged attendees to answer that rhetoric with compassion.
“You are beloved. You are welcome and we will fight for you,” he told the attendees. “Let’s fight hate with love and inclusion.”
Many attendees said they were motivated by religious beliefs rather than partisan politics.
Jane and Allen Hedeen, who have called Fishers home for 14 years, held a sign quoting Leviticus 19:33-34: “When a stranger sojourns with you in your land you shall do him no wrong. You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you and you shall love him as yourself.”
Jane Hedeen said the verse reflects why they came to the counterprotest.
“Faith is really important to our family,” she said. “We believe that God has asked us to be loving toward all.”
Hedeen said she knows immigrants and refugees who have been personally affected by recent immigration policies.
“They are good people, and they don’t deserve to be treated like that,” she said.
She said she believes much of the hostility surrounding immigration stems from fear of people who seem different.
“I think a lot of the fear that is fueling this hate comes from a fear of the unknown and the stranger,” she said. “Even though we might not know people specifically, they are all beloved by God.”
Jeanne Lewis of Westfield carried a two-sided sign that read, “I hear that Migrant children also have heartbeats,” while the reverse quoted Jesus’ commandment to “Love thy neighbor.”
Lewis, who was raised Catholic, said she intentionally designed the sign to speak to fellow Christians who oppose abortion but support stricter immigration policies.
“I just think it’s despicable that our government is treating human beings this way,” Lewis said. “Deportation equals death for many.”
She said immigration has become a moral issue for her.
“I was raised Catholic, so I take the abortion debate … it really hits me. I’m pro-choice now,” she said. “I feel like this is a way to speak to others who are Catholic.”
Pointing to the other side of her sign, she added, “Love thy neighbor. Everyone is claiming to be such great Christians, but really it all comes down to this. I’m just trying to speak their language.”
Fishers resident Sarah Skwire said she was particularly troubled by the way Save Heritage Indiana leaders have highlighted their own colonial ancestry while promoting the rally.
On the organization’s website, Executive Director Daniel Poynter and co-founder Nathan Roberts emphasize their family connections to early American history, including claimed Mayflower ancestry. Poynter also identifies himself as a direct descendant of Patrick Henry, while Roberts says he is descended from people involved in the settling of Jamestown.
Skwire said she shares some of those same ancestral connections but does not believe they should be used to define who belongs in America.
“Those are my connections too, and I don’t want them used that way,” she said. “I think it’s a revolting use of a heritage that is important and complicated.”
Skwire said American history includes not only early colonial settlers but also generations of immigrants who came later, including members of her own family who arrived seeking religious freedom.
“The other side of my family are Jewish immigrants from Russia and Poland who also left their homes to avoid religious persecution,” she said. “Everybody got here, and I wouldn’t be here without all of them.”
She said she does not want America’s history used to suggest that some families have a greater claim to belonging than others.
One of the more recognizable figures in the crowd was Greenwood resident Justin Wahl, who arrived at the Fishers march dressed as Captain America.
“I feel like it was important to be here because Greg Bovino is an ass and doesn’t deserve to be welcomed here, especially not in this donut around Indianapolis,” Wahl said.
A regular protest attendee and member of Strong Neighbor, Wahl said the costume represented what he considers America’s highest ideals.
“Freedom. Liberty. Truth,” he said. “With this current administration, someone had to pick [the shield] up, and I guess that was me. I’m no super soldier, but it still makes me feel like I’m doing something.”
While the counterprotest took place in full public view, many details surrounding Save Heritage Indiana’s weekend events remained unknown.
Poynter also told The Indiana Citizen that only two news organizations would be granted access to Saturday’s rally, describing the arrangement as exclusive media coverage. The Indiana Citizen requested access but was not among the outlets permitted to attend.
Because most news organizations were not allowed inside, it remains unclear what Beckwith and Rokita said in video messages shown to attendees during the rally. Neither office immediately released copies of the recorded remarks or transcripts Saturday.
Save Heritage Indiana has said the rally was intended to promote stronger immigration enforcement and mass deportations of people living in the country illegally.
The weekend also exposed apparent divisions within Save Heritage Indiana itself.
More than two weeks before the rally, Roberts announced he would be stepping away from Save Heritage. At that time, he indicated he could not devote as much attention to the nonprofit because his position with Turning Point USA was taking most of his time. However, on July 31, Roberts posted on X that he was leaving over what he described as “a difference in strategy.”
Namely, Roberts seemed to be disagreeing with Save Heritage’s criticism of U.S. Sen. Jim Banks, R-Indiana.
“Mass migration is such a serious problem that everyone who takes it seriously needs to be united,” Roberts wrote in his social-media post. “Going after the best senator in the country on this issue, who has authored bills ending birthright citizenship and making sure we end CDL scams, is not how we do that.”
On July 31, the organization circulated an email criticizing Banks and Gov. Mike Braun for declining to record promotional videos supporting Saturday’s rally.
“What our network is doing is needed badly,” the email stated, arguing that Braun and Banks should publicly endorse the event because it simply advocated enforcement of existing immigration laws.
The message became more pointed, concluding that “in our professional opinion they are so chickensh** they deserve the stocks.”
Neither Braun nor Banks reportedly participated in Saturday’s events.
Ahead of the demonstrations, Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness, a Republican, issued a statement emphasizing residents’ constitutional rights while urging participants to remain peaceful.
“Fishers is a thriving community that has become a global destination for all people to raise their families,” Fadness said.
“Fishers did not ask to be a part of this debate, but today, people have chosen to express their constitutional right to free speech and assembly in our city,” the statement read. “Our community expects those participating will obey all laws and will exemplify civil discourse. Fishers Police will be prepared to keep everyone safe and hold anyone accountable who does not follow the law.”
At one point during the march, a masked counterprotester, carrying a sign, briefly entered the crowd of demonstrators. Some attendees surrounded the masked man and attempted to block his message from view before organizers intervened, asking participants to allow him to exercise his right to free speech.
The event concluded shortly afterward as thunderstorms and lightning forced organizers to end the march early.
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.
