Trump Admin Launches 'Speedway Slammer', Indiana Migrant Detention Center Inspired by 'Alligator Alcatraz'

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced a new partnership with the state of Indiana to build the "Speedway Slammer," a facility inspired by Florida's "Alligator Alcatraz."

Located about 70 miles north of Indianapolis, the Miami Correctional Facility is a maximum-security prison operated by the Indiana Department of Correction (IDOC), as Indianapolis Star reports. While the facility can house over 3,000 individuals, a portion of it has remained underutilized due to staffing shortages, according to IDOC spokesperson Annie Goeller.

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem celebrated the partnership in a statement on the agency's official website:

"COMING SOON to Indiana: The Speedway Slammer. Today, we're announcing a new partnership with the state of Indiana to expand detention bed space by 1,000 beds. Thanks to Governor Braun for his partnership to help remove the worst of the worst out of our country. If you are in America illegally, you could find yourself in Indiana's Speedway Slammer. Avoid arrest and self deport now using the CBP Home App"

The initiative was made possible through recently enacted legislation referred to by federal officials as the "One Big Beautiful Bill," which provides funding for 80,000 new ICE detention beds and support for the 287(g) program, a federal-local immigration enforcement partnership. The facility has been dubbed the next "Alligator Alcatraz", the controversial detention center launched in July which has been marred in controversy.

Indiana Governor Mike Braun welcomed the move in a statement of his own, claiming that "we are proud to work with President Trump and Secretary Noem as they remove the worst of the worst with this innovative partnership. Indiana is taking a comprehensive and collaborative approach to combating illegal immigration and will continue to lead the way among states."

The decision follows Braun's executive order in January directing Indiana law enforcement agencies to fully cooperate with federal immigration enforcement efforts. It also comes amid plans to use Camp Atterbury, a military facility in Indiana, as a temporary holding site for up to 1,000 ICE detainees. However, no timeline has been set for that conversion.