Two events reflecting sharply different views of immigration are scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 1, but key details about the private rally that prompted the response remain unconfirmed.
Save Heritage Indiana says its invitation-only “Mass Deportation Rally” will begin at 7 p.m. at an undisclosed Fishers location. Former U.S. Border Patrol commander-at-large Gregory Bovino is scheduled to speak, and Republican Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith is expected to provide prerecorded video remarks rather than attend in person.
Tickets have been advertised at $50, with the location promised only to approved guests shortly before the event. Save Heritage Indiana’s website calls for ending and reversing “mass migration” and backs universal E-Verify and mandatory local cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
Executive Director Daniel Poynter has said the event is about enforcing immigration laws, not promoting violence or racial division. The Southern Poverty Law Center describes Save Heritage Indiana as anti-immigrant, a characterization Poynter disputes.
Bovino retired in March after nearly 30 years with the Border Patrol. He led high-profile immigration operations in Los Angeles, Chicago and Minneapolis and was removed from his commander-at-large position after federal agents fatally shot U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. Bovino drew condemnation for saying Pretti planned to “massacre” officers, a claim The Associated Press reported authorities had not substantiated.
Bovino also has claimed that 100 million people are living in the United States illegally, without presenting supporting evidence. Pew Research Center’s latest comprehensive estimate was 14 million in 2023. Pew said preliminary evidence indicated the number remained above that level in mid-2025, but had begun to decline.
Earlier Saturday, Fishers Resists and partner organizations plan a public “Hoosier Hospitality March” from 3 to 6 p.m., beginning at Roy G. Holland Memorial Park. The roughly 2-mile route is expected to follow Lantern Road and the Nickel Plate Trail to the Fishers Municipal Center for speeches and a vigil, then return by 116th Street. Organizers describe it as a nonviolent show of support for immigrant neighbors and say safety marshals will be present.
Census data show 11.5% of Fishers residents were foreign-born in 2020-24. That figure includes people with a range of legal statuses and does not indicate how many are in the country without authorization.
Mayor Scott Fadness has said the city did not bring the private rally to Fishers and had no coordination with its organizers. He said the city cannot suppress lawful expression on private property. Fishers police have been working to identify the site so they can protect participants and the public, but will not provide private security.
As of July 27, organizers had not publicly disclosed the private rally’s address, venue, ticket sales, expected attendance or any elected officials planning to appear in person. A widely shared social media claim that the organization was still seeking a venue relies on unnamed sources and has not been independently confirmed. Save Heritage Indiana’s separate claim that it received death threats also has not been publicly substantiated. No reliable crowd estimate for either event was available.