By Zoe Moczek

A state prison in Indiana will be used as a detention center for undocumented immigrants.

On August 5th, The Department of Homeland Security announced plans to make up to 1,000 beds in Miami Correctional Facility available for detained immigrants. This decision follows a recent partnership between Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Indiana Department of Correction and is part of an effort by the federal government to increase ICE detention capacity nationwide.

Miami Correctional Facility is located in Bunker Hill, Indiana, about 70 miles north of Indianapolis. It’s capable of holding approximately 3,100 men, but is currently not filled due to problems with understaffing, according to an article by the IndyStar.

The prison has also faced accusations of violating prisoners’ Eighth Amendment right to protection from cruel and unusual punishment. In 2021, the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana filed lawsuits alleging that incarcerated individuals experienced inhumane conditions, including being held in isolated cells in complete darkness for prolonged periods of time.

Indiana Governor Mike Braun expressed approval of the plan to house ICE detainees at Miami Correctional Facility, stating, “Indiana is taking a comprehensive and collaborative approach to combating illegal immigration and will continue to lead the way among states.”

In a post on the social media platform X, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem referred to the facility by the nickname “Speedway Slammer”, referencing its proximity to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Also on X, The Department of Homeland Security posted an AI-generated image of a racecar with the acronym “ICE” on its side and a prison in the background.

This rise in immigration detention and its surrounding rhetoric has generated backlash from immigrant justice groups. Lisa Koop, the national director of legal services at the National Immigrant Justice Center, was printed in AP News stating, “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.”

At this time, government officials have not released information regarding when the facility will begin to hold immigrant detainees.

Sources:

https://www.dhs.gov/news/2025/08/05/speedway-slammer-new-partnership-dhs-and-state-indiana-expand-detention-space

https://www.indystar.com/story/news/2021/07/30/miami-correctional-facility-prison-inmate-rights-violation-aclu-lawyer/5429777001/

https://apnews.com/article/immigration-detention-indiana-prison-immigrants-f4af2d5ad5ece8481b0750dad53fb743

https://www.aclu-in.org/en/press-releases/aclu-indiana-lawsuits-challenge-systemic-abuses-inhumane-conditions-miami

https://www.cbssports.com/general/news/indycar-pushes-back-on-department-of-homeland-securitys-ai-generated-imagery-for-speedway-slammer/

https://www.indystar.com/story/news/investigations/2025/08/12/immigrant-advocates-speedway-slammer-mike-braun-camp-atterbury-miami-correctional-facility/85540656007/