By Marilyn Odendahl
The Indiana Citizen
April 3, 2025
A large, white “Come and Take It” flag on display outside Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita’s office in the Statehouse is drawing criticism from advocacy groups who say it is anti-immigrant and sends a message of hate.
The flag, which dates to the Texas Revolution in 1835, has a black star in the center above a depiction of a cannon and the words “Come and Take It” in all capital letters on a white background. For some time, it has been a symbol of defiance against perceived government overreach, but more recently, the flag appears to have taken on a darker message after having been flown at the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 insurrection and used by groups with anti-Mexican and anti-immigrant views, according to The Texas Tribune.
Carolina Castoreno, co-founder of the Alliance for Latino Migrant Advocacy in Indianapolis, said the display of the “Come and Take It” flag by the state’s top lawyer was alarming. She noted that this flag, as with flags that have ties to the American Revolution, such as the “Don’t Tread on Me” banner, has been repurposed to carry hostile and divisive messages.
“It is very harmful rhetoric. It’s disgusting to see this coming from a state official,” Castoreno said, referencing Rokita. “I would say, considering the state official, I’m not surprised, but this is just another way for him to promote xenophobia and stir up racial division.”
Rokita’s office swiped back at the outcry, blaming the advocacy groups for interpreting the “Come and Take It” flag as being a symbol of hate.
“This flag has been up for nearly two years, largely in support of our Indiana troops working alongside their Texas counterparts to secure our Southern border,” Ben Fearnow, spokesman for the attorney general’s office, said. “What this latest ‘outrage’ exposes is just another example of how the left has erased the teachings of American history in public schools. Instead, they promote their own ideological goals or slander anything they dislike – like turning this flag, which is a symbol against tyrannical government policies – into white supremacy.”
The “Come and Take It” flag was first unfurled when Mexican authorities asked for the return of a cannon that had been loaned to the town of Gonzales, Texas, according to the Texas State Historical Association. Townsfolk had used the Spanish-made, bronze piece of artillery to protect themselves against attacks from Native Americans and were reluctant to give it back.
Two women from Gonzales “hastily prepared a flag,” the Texas State Historical Association found, which was raised above the cannon during a battle with the Mexican military on Oct. 2, 1835. The original flag was lost and the cannon was eventually moved to the Alamo, where it was recaptured by the Mexican army in the 1836 Battle of the Alamo.
Pointing to the history of the “Come and Take It” flag, Kelly DeLong, of MADVoters Indiana, questioned the attorney general’s explanation that the flag is being displayed to support Indiana National Guard troops. She said she does not understand why Rokita would use that flag to express his appreciation for the military, especially when the state’s National Guard has its own flag that could be displayed.
“So, you’re celebrating stolen property,” DeLong said. “How does that support the National Guard?”
Moreover, DeLong said, the attorney general could advocate for House Bill 1111, introduced this legislative session by Rep. Steve Bartels, R-Eckerty. The measure is meant to help the people who serve in the Indiana National Guard by providing access to medical insurance, increasing the death benefits, and expanding the use of the tuition supplement program.
“If you want to display a flag, can we not use the American flag or the actual National Guard flag?” DeLong asked. “There are other options that just seem a lot more productive. I feel like there’s always a lot of race-baiting from that office.”
On April 1, Rokita used the flag to seemingly taunt his detractors on social media. He posted on X two pictures of himself, one standing beside a Pride flag and saying he was brainwashed into displaying that flag. In the other photo, he is smiling beside the “Come and Take It” flag and exclaiming “April Fools!”
Pride Lafayette has sent a letter to Rokita, demanding he apologize for “mocking the Pride Progress Flag” and delete the post.
“While there is room in our political discourse for legitimate debate on how state government can best serve all Hoosiers, there is no room for a constitutional officer to use the trappings of their office to mock, belittle, marginalize, or demean any resident (or group of residents) with whom that officer might disagree on policy matters,” the letter, signed by Pride Lafayette’s executive director Derrick Jones, stated. “It is disrespectful, unbecoming, and beneath the office of Attorney General.”
After recently stopping by the attorney general’s office, DeLong said she was told Rokita had ordered the flag to be displayed and that it was a symbol of support for the Indiana National Guard troops who are patrolling the southern border. She said she has made subsequent phone calls to the office to get a further explanation of why the flag was being exhibited and who paid for it, but when her calls were transferred, they were disconnected.
“I just want to have a better understanding of, you know, maybe I was missing some type of context, and just to get that clarification and go from there, but they were unable to provide it,” DeLong said. “It makes you wonder what the intentions are behind it.”
Castoreno acknowledged immigrant-rights groups have larger battles with Rokita than the dispute over the flag. She referenced the attorney general’s crackdown on local municipalities for their welcoming ordinances or for not honoring detainer requests from U.S. Immigration and Customs, and his support for House Bill 1531, authored by Rep. J.D. Prescott, R-Union City, which, in part, gives more power to the state’s top lawyer over compliance and enforcement related to immigration matters.
Even so, Castoreno said the “Come and Take It” flag was “worth addressing because this particular attorney general is extremely anti-immigrant, more so than the ones we’ve seen in the past.”
She accused Rokita of laying the groundwork to go after organizations and institutions that are supporting immigrants. Also, she said, Rokita is feeding the misconception that these nonprofits and agencies are inviting undocumented individuals into Hoosier communities and he is perpetuating the stereotype that immigrants are invading the United States and, in essence, taking resources and opportunities from native-born citizens.
“It’s the tone that he’s setting,” Castoreno said of Rokita’s action in displaying the flag. “It’s the gas lighting. It’s the insinuation that we aren’t intelligent enough to see through his motives.”
Dwight Adams, an editor and writer based in Indianapolis, edited this article. He is a former content editor, copy editor and digital producer at The Indianapolis Star and IndyStar.com, and worked as a planner for other newspapers, including the Louisville Courier Journal.
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.
