'Speedway Slammer' immigration jail set to be Trump's next 'Alligator Alcatraz'
The Trump administration is working to expand immigration detention capacity nationwide, using a troubled Florida facility as its model.
- The Trump administration is increasing immigration detention capacity amidst rising immigrant arrests.
- Critics argue the nickname trivializes the harsh conditions in ICE detention.
- Indiana Gov. Mike Braun supports cooperating with federal immigration enforcement.
The motorsports company behind the Indy 500 says it was caught off-guard by the Trump administration branding a new immigration detention center as the "Speedway Slammer."
Following an Aug. 5 announcement that Indiana house up to 1,000 detained immigrants at a maximum-security prison, Homeland Security touted the agreement online with a mash-up photo that features an IndyCar with an imposing detention center in the background.
The Republican-led state volunteered to host the Trump administration's next immigration detention center after Florida created a detention facility dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz."
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem has been touting the administration's efforts to rapidly expand immigration detention capacity amid a surge in immigrant arrests.
"If you are in America illegally, you could find yourself in Indiana’s Speedway Slammer," Noem said in an Aug. 5 post on X. "Avoid arrest and self deport now using the CBP Home App."
The "Speedway Slammer" nickname is in keeping with a White House effort to sell its growing immigration enforcement effort to the American people. The name references one of Indiana's best-known facilities, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Penske Entertainment, the Speedway's owner, said in a statement to the IndyStar, part of the Paste BN Network, that it was "unaware of plans to incorporate our imagery as part of announcement.”
"Consistent with our approach to public policy and political issues, we are communicating our preference that our IP not be utilized moving forward in relation to this matter," the statement said, referring to the company's intellectual property.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Tom Homan, the White House "border czar," dismissed concerns about the name of the facility, saying he doesn't name them. He said the focus should be on the work of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
"I don't want the names taken over the great work they're doing," he said. "This is serious work and it's dangerous work."
He added: "Bottom line is the state should plan a role in this administration's efforts to remove public safety threats from this nation as quick as possible."
Immigrant advocates say the nicknames obscure the harrowing conditions that have been documented in ICE detention in recent months and dehumanize the people held there.
The average daily population in ICE custody rose to 57,000 in early August, from fewer than 40,000 in January, before President Donald Trump took office, according to ICE data.
Indiana Gov. Mike Braun signed an executive order in January directing state law enforcement agencies to "fully cooperate" with the federal crackdown on illegal immigration, including investigating, arresting and detaining undocumented immigrants.
Indiana has already committed to using empty space at its Miami Correctional Facility on the former Grissom Air Force Base about 70 miles north of Indianapolis to house detained immigrants.
The facility has about 3,100 beds, according to Annie Goeller, chief communications officer for IDOC, but part of it has gone unused because of a staffing shortage.
Expanding immigration detention
The Trump administration is looking to expand immigration detention capacity through local partnerships, private contracts and on military bases.
Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, became the first military base to erect an ICE detention camp. The administration is eyeing an Indiana base, as well.
On July 15, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth outlined plans to use Camp Atterbury, south of Indianapolis, to hold detained immigrants temporarily. The Trump administration wants to hold up to 1,000 ICE detainees at the military facility, according to Rep. André Carson, D-Ind.
Braun told the IndyStar that as of Aug. 5, the Trump administration had not established a timeline for when it will use the military base for a detention camp.
"When it comes to our state, we're going to cooperate … as we're housing detainees that have broken the law after they entered illegally," Braun told the IndyStar. "We're going to cooperate with the federal government."
Contributing: Brittany Carloni, IndyStar; Eduardo Cuevas, Paste BN
IndyStar reporter Noe Padilla can be reached at npadilla@indystar.com.