A new immigrant detention partnership nicknamed after Indiana's iconic racetrack inspires backlash

Boston Globe

6 days ago

More beds, not new construction
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem trumpeted the deal late Tuesday, saying Indiana would add 1,000 detention beds for immigrants facing deportation under a revived federal program.
On social media, DHS also
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'If you are in America illegally, you could find yourself in Indiana's Speedway Slammer,' Noem said, likening it to the controversial facility built in the Florida Everglades. She added the new partnership will 'help remove the worst of the worst out of our country.'
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The Speedway Slammer 🏁
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov)
However, the Indiana deal doesn't involve construction.
Federal funds will be used for space at the Miami Correctional Facility in Bunker Hill, roughly 75 miles (120.7 kilometers) north of Indianapolis. The prison's total capacity is 3,100 beds, of which 1,200 are not filled, according to Indiana Department of Correction spokeswoman Annie Goeller.
Officials did not say when the detentions would start. 'Details about the partnership and how IDOC can best support those efforts are being determined,' Geoller said.
The deal is part of the decades-old
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The Florida detention facility has prompted lawsuits and complaints about
Immigrant rights activists and legal advocates were worried about the sudden increase of immigrant detention in Indiana. Issues with overcrowding and sanitation have been reported at the three county jails that house immigrant detainees.
'We are deeply concerned and disturbed by the dramatic expansion in Indiana, but also by the cavalier way they are approaching this, by applying alliterated names as if this makes it somehow less cruel,' said Lisa Koop with the National Immigrant Justice Center. The organization helps provide legal services to immigrants in Indiana and other places.
Republican Gov. Mike Braun first announced the federal partnership on Friday, calling a way to enforce the country's 'most fundamental laws.'
'Indiana is not a safe haven for illegal immigration,' he said.
President Trump toured the newly-constructed area for a detention camp nicknamed "Alligator Alcatraz" with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, on July 1.
DOUG MILLS/NYT
Pushback to a borrowed name
The outlandish name quickly drew backlash, notably from the town of Speedway, an Indianapolis suburb which is home to the iconic racetrack that hosts the Indianapolis 500.
'This designation was developed and released independently by the federal agency, without the Town's involvement or prior notice regarding the use of the name 'Speedway,' ' officials with the Indiana town of roughly 14,000 said in a statement. 'Our primary focus remains the well-being of our residents, businesses, and visitors.'
IndyCar officials were also caught off guard.
'We were unaware of plans to incorporate our imagery as part of announcement,' IndyCar said, asking that its intellectual property 'not be utilized moving forward in relation to this matter.'
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The altered image used by DHS featured an IndyCar with the No. 5, the same number as the only Mexican driver in the series.
'I was just a little bit shocked at the coincidences of that and, you know, of what it means,'
DHS officials were undeterred by the pushback, saying Wednesday they would continue promoting the plan with the name.
'An AI generated image of a car with 'ICE' on the side does not violate anyone's intellectual property rights,' DHS said in a statement. 'Any suggestion to the contrary is absurd.'
President Donald Trump's border czar Tom Homan said Wednesday that he didn't name the facility.
'But I'll say this, the work of ICE, the men and women of ICE, are trying to do their job with integrity and honor,' he told reporters at the White House. 'I don't want these names to detract from that.'
An aerial view of racing during the NASCAR Cup Series Brickyard 400 Presented by PPG at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 27.
James Gilbert/Getty
Indiana embraces immigration enforcement
Leaders in the Trump administration have already singled out Indiana as key to their immigration agenda.
Braun, a first-term governor and former U.S. senator, has been a strong Trump supporter. In January, Braun signed an executive order directing law enforcement agencies to 'fully cooperate' on immigration enforcement.
The nation's newest immigration court opened in Indianapolis earlier this year as a way to address the backlog and divert cases from the busy courthouse in Chicago.
Federal and state leaders are also working on plans to use a central Indiana military base, Camp Atterbury, to temporarily house detainees.
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'Indiana is taking a comprehensive and collaborative approach to combating illegal immigration and will continue to lead the way among states,' Braun said in a statement Tuesday.
Associated Press writer Will Weissert in Washington contributed to this report.