Protestors gathered outside the Miami Correctional Facility this week to oppose a new federal-state plan to convert as many as 1,000 prison beds into an immigration detention site branded the “Speedway Slammer.” The move, announced by the Department of Homeland Security on August 5, 2025, positions Indiana at the center of a nationwide expansion of ICE detention capacity and has drawn sharp reaction from residents and local officials.
DHS says the plan will repurpose unused space inside the Miami Correctional Facility, which has a total capacity of 3,100. State officials expect the conversion of up to 1,000 beds, with operations targeted to begin in late 2025. The site would receive transfers from other locations and hold people arrested in the region as arrests rise.
The federal-state partnership rests on the “One Big Beautiful Bill” passed earlier this year, which funds 80,000 new ICE detention beds across the United States 🇺🇸 and expands the 287(g) program, allowing local police to help with immigration enforcement. Indiana’s project is the second marquee rollout after Florida’s “Alligator Alcatraz.” According to VisaVerge.com, the Indiana plan is designed to bring online up to 1,000 beds at a prison that had previously reported 1,200 unused beds, making it a quick add to the national count.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem has framed the Speedway Slammer as a tool to remove “the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens.” She has also urged people without status to pursue “self-deportation” using the CBP Home App, warning that those who remain may face detention as more beds come online. Indiana Governor Mike Braun has backed the partnership, calling it a model for state-federal cooperation on enforcement.
The branding has sparked its own fight. Officials in the Town of Speedway objected to the “Speedway” label and the project’s racing imagery, while IndyCar representatives complained about the association. Protesters outside the prison called the name demeaning and said it trivializes family separation and long waits in immigration court.
Policy shift and capacity pressures
This buildout follows a marked change in federal policy. The Trump administration’s 2025 actions reversed several Biden-era limits on detention growth and private contracts, opening the way for new state alignments like Indiana’s.
ICE leadership has been hiring more officers with a stated goal of increasing arrests and transfers into facilities such as the Speedway Slammer.
Advocacy groups point to conditions in other sites as a warning. Detention Watch Network reports that some ICE facilities are already operating around 125% capacity, with overcrowding, illness, and poor access to basic needs — especially in Florida. They argue that adding beds without stronger oversight risks exporting these problems to Indiana.
How the Speedway Slammer would run has been outlined in broad steps:
- The Indiana Department of Correction would manage day-to-day operations in partnership with ICE under federal standards.
- Beds would be converted within the existing facility footprint.
- Detainees would be transferred from crowded centers or arrested locally.
- State and federal inspections would be scheduled once operations begin.
Advocates caution that paper rules often fall short once facilities fill and staffing thins.
The target population has been described by DHS as people with serious criminal records. Community groups counter that, in practice, arrests often sweep up people with old or minor offenses, or those flagged through traffic stops under the 287(g) program. That debate lies at the heart of protests in Bunker Hill and in cities that fear ripple effects across immigrant neighborhoods.
Impact on Indiana families and communities
For families with mixed status, the plan feels personal. Parents who have lived in Indiana for years worry that a routine stop could lead to:
- A night in county jail
- A status check
- A transfer to the Miami Correctional Facility
Faith leaders and local organizers at demonstrations said they expect more home and workplace arrests as the bed count grows, and warned that children could bear the heaviest strain.
Business and civic voices are split:
- Some town leaders argue the conversion could bring jobs and investment around the facility.
- Others say the Speedway Slammer label and the link to large-scale detention could harm the state’s image and discourage international students and workers from choosing Indiana.
Legal scholars stress a deeper concern: immigration detention is civil, not criminal, yet it will take place inside a state prison built for punishment. That blending raises questions about:
- Access to lawyers
- Medical care
- Language services
Detention Watch Network and ACLU Indiana have urged tighter oversight and public reporting before the first transfers arrive.
Oversight, legal questions, and what comes next
The timeline is moving fast. DHS announced the partnership on August 5, 2025, and Indiana has started hiring and bed conversion. State and federal inspections are expected once the site opens in late 2025.
With backlash over the name and ongoing disputes over conditions in other states, attorneys say lawsuits are possible — either on branding or on detainee treatment if reports mirror those from Florida.
Organizing is set to continue as the opening nears. Protest coalitions plan more demonstrations outside the Miami Correctional Facility and at the Statehouse. Town officials in Speedway say they were not consulted on the branding and want it changed; DHS has not signaled any shift.
For people trying to track a transferred loved one, ICE publishes location and contact details for its detention sites here: https://www.ice.gov/detention-facilities. Families and attorneys say checking this page often is essential when transfers happen quickly.
The national context is clear: the 2025 agenda under President Trump is to grow detention and speed removals, with states as partners and state deals. Supporters argue that more beds will deter future crossings and help remove people with serious crimes. Critics counter that detention growth, not paired with stronger oversight, will deepen harm without fixing court backlogs or adding due process.
Many observers point to a pattern of rapid policy swings — from President Biden’s earlier limits on expansions and private contracts to the 2025 expansion — making planning hard for families and local agencies.
Key facts at a glance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Facility | Miami Correctional Facility (capacity 3,100) |
| Beds to convert | Up to 1,000 |
| Federal action announced | August 5, 2025 |
| Targeted opening | Late 2025 |
| National bill | “One Big Beautiful Bill” — funds 80,000 new ICE beds |
| Program expanded | 287(g) program (local police involvement) |
| Tracking transfers | https://www.ice.gov/detention-facilities |
If you need this reorganized for print, a fact sheet, or social media posts, tell me which format and I’ll prepare it.
This Article in a Nutshell
Protests erupted as DHS unveiled the Speedway Slammer plan on August 5, 2025 to convert up to 1,000 prison beds, raising concerns about overcrowding, civil detention inside a state prison, family separations, and local reputational harm as Indiana joins a national ICE expansion funded by the One Big Beautiful Bill.
