Trump Administration Touts New Migrant Holding Space in Indiana Dubbed the ‘Speedway Slammer’
Top Trump administration officials boast that a new state partnership to expand immigrant detention in Indiana will be the next so-called “ Alligator Alcatraz.”
However, the agreement is already prompting backlash in the Midwest state, starting with its splashy “Speedway Slammer” moniker.
Here’s a closer look at the agreement, the pushback and Indiana’s role in the Trump agenda to aggressively detain and deport people in the country illegally.
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 posted an altered image of a race car emblazoned with “ICE,” short for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The IndyCar-style vehicle is shown rolling past a barbed-wire prison wall.
“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.”
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.
However, the agreement is already prompting backlash in the Midwest state, starting with its splashy “Speedway Slammer” moniker.
Here’s a closer look at the agreement, the pushback and Indiana’s role in the Trump agenda to aggressively detain and deport people in the country illegally.
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 posted an altered image of a race car emblazoned with “ICE,” short for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The IndyCar-style vehicle is shown rolling past a barbed-wire prison wall.
“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.”
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.
70-79, M
