The Speedway Slammer: How a Federal Program and a Governor’s “Collateral Damage” Brought Authoritarian Branding to Indiana

There are few institutions more central to the identity of Indiana than the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It is a place of tradition, of breathtaking speed, of innovation, and for one month every year, a place of genuine international welcome. The name “Speedway” evokes a sense of pride and celebration for most Hoosiers. It is now, however, also the name of a new Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility. In a move of staggering cynicism, the Department of Homeland Security, in partnership with Indiana’s Governor Mike Braun, has announced the creation of the “Speedway Slammer,” a new 1,000-bed expansion at the Miami Correctional Facility. This ham-fisted attempt at cultural appropriation, an effort to brand a human cage with the name of a beloved local institution, was so clumsy and offensive that the Indianapolis Motor Speedway itself was forced to issue a swift and public rebuke, stating its “preference that our IP (intellectual property) not be utilized moving forward in relation to this matter.” The episode is a perfect, if grotesque, microcosm of the Felonious Punk administration’s approach to governance: a blend of brutal policy, cynical marketing, and stunning incompetence that ends up insulting the very people it claims to represent.

The Anatomy of a Cruel Partnership

The “Speedway Slammer” is the second in a series of new state-federal partnerships to expand ICE detention space, following the creation of “Alligator Alcatraz” in Florida. The stated purpose of the 1,000 new beds at the Miami Correctional Facility, according to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and Governor Braun, is to “house some of the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens.” This is the classic, dehumanizing rhetoric of an authoritarian regime, designed to strip a targeted population of its humanity and justify its persecution. But a closer look reveals that this is not an isolated project, but part of a much broader, premeditated effort by Governor Braun to align Indiana with the administration’s most aggressive anti-immigrant policies.

The official announcement is not the beginning of this story, but its culmination. This new facility is not the only expansion of detention capacity in the state; the governor is also facing significant public pushback for his decision to house undocumented immigrants at Camp Atterbury, an Indiana National Guard base. Furthermore, his partnership with DHS is the direct fulfillment of a hardline executive order he signed back in January, which directed all state law enforcement agencies to fully cooperate with ICE. This directive has been enthusiastically embraced at the local level, with agencies like the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office creating their own “immigration commissions” and enrolling in the federal 287(g) program, which deputizes local police to act as federal immigration agents. This is not a policy being forced upon a reluctant state; it is a story of enthusiastic and premeditated local complicity.

Propaganda and the Dog Whistle

As if the cynical branding of the “Speedway Slammer” itself were not offensive enough, the Department of Homeland Security chose to promote the announcement with a piece of propaganda that was as clumsy as it was ugly. In a social media post, the agency released an image depicting an open-wheel race car, clearly meant to evoke an IndyCar, emblazoned with the word “ICE” on its side and a checkered flag in the background. It is a jarring and offensive fusion of a symbol of local pride with the reality of the federal government’s deportation machine.

But a closer look, as reported by local station Fox 59, reveals a potentially more sinister layer. The number on the car in the DHS meme was five. In the real IndyCar circuit, the No. 5 car is famously driven by Pato O’Ward, one of the sport’s most popular and successful Mexican drivers. One can only speculate whether this was a deliberate, racist dog whistle aimed at the administration’s anti-immigrant base, or just another act of stunning incompetence from an agency that couldn’t be bothered to do a simple Google search. Either way, the symbolism is powerful.

The immediate rebuke from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was a necessary act of brand protection. In their polite but firm statement, they made it clear that they were “unaware” of the plan and wanted no part of it. It is a stunning state of affairs when a state’s most famous cultural institution is forced to publicly distance itself from its own governor to avoid being tainted by the toxicity of his political agenda. The administration’s attempt at a clever marketing ploy had backfired immediately, revealing them to be not just cruel, but also profoundly out of touch with the very community they were trying to co-opt.

The “Collateral Damage” on the Ground

While the administration and the governor’s office focus on branding and rhetoric, the human consequences of their policies are already being felt across Indiana. According to data from the Deportation Data Project, ICE arrests in the state have spiked by a staggering 80% in the first six months of 2025 compared to the previous year. This is the on-the-ground reality of the partnership Governor Braun is so proud of.

And who, exactly, are these “worst of the worst” that are being targeted? The same data reveals that of the 300 people arrested in Indiana in June alone, 55 had no criminal charges or convictions. These are not dangerous criminals; they are neighbors, co-workers, and community members being swept up in a dragnet. When confronted with this fact by local news station WTHR, Governor Braun made a chilling and unforgettable admission. He acknowledged the arrest of non-criminals and said, “I think it’s going to have to boil down to collateral damage.”

This is a horrifying “mask-off” moment, a casual admission from the state’s highest office that the terrorizing of non-criminal immigrant families is an acceptable price to pay for his political agenda. It is this reality that is fueling a growing local opposition. “The vast majority of people who are being swept up in these raids don’t have a criminal history,” said Karla Lopez Owens of the Indiana Latino Democratic Caucus. “It’s open season on immigrants.” She, along with federal representatives like André Carson, is now leading the fight against the state’s expanding detention system.

A Betrayal of Hoosier Values

The “Speedway Slammer” is a perfect case study in the mechanics of modern American authoritarianism. It begins with a cynical federal branding exercise, designed to make a cruel policy more palatable. It is implemented through the enthusiastic complicity of state-level politicians who are eager to align themselves with the administration’s hardline agenda. It is defended with the chilling, bureaucratic language of “collateral damage.” And it is sold to the public with clumsy, potentially racist propaganda.

This is not the Indiana that I, or many others, recognize. This is a state whose capital city hosts the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” an event that welcomes people from every country on Earth. It is a state that prides itself on “Hoosier Hospitality.” The cruelty and incompetence of the “Speedway Slammer” are a betrayal of those values. While the new facility may bear a Hoosier nickname, the ugly, divisive, and inhumane ideology it represents is a direct import from Washington, D.C., and it is a stain on the state that has so eagerly embraced it.