U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem trumpeted her latest plans this week to house up to 1,000 immigrants in the Miami Correctional Facility in Bunker Hill, just north of Kokomo.
This follows the feds’ decision to use Camp Atterbury near Columbus as an immigrant detention center which was announced earlier this summer.
That location at Camp Atterbury didn’t get a special name like Alligator Alcatraz in Florida.
But Miami Correctional Facility got one, and it’s quite insulting: Speedway Slammer.
“COMING SOON to Indiana: The Speedway Slammer,” Noem wrote. “Today, we’re announcing a new partnership with the state of Indiana to expand detention bed space by 1,000 beds. Thanks to @GovBraun for his partnership to help remove the worst of the worst out of our country.”
And if the name Speedway Slammer isn’t offensive enough, Noem and her cohort then decided to take Indiana’s reputation for a ride around in the mud by photoshopping an open-wheel Indy car on a track in front of a prison, which is, well, pretty insulting to the Hoosier sensibility as being the center of the INDYCAR universe.
According to the Indiana Capital Chronicle, INDYCAR and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway aren’t pleased with the use of the name Speedway Slammer, which is a direct reference to the hallowed Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
“We were unaware of plans to incorporate our imagery as part of yesterday’s announcement,” the organizations said in a corporate statement. “Consistent with our approach to public policy and political issues, we are communicating our preference that our (intellectual property) not be utilized moving forward in relation to this matter.”
That’s a nice way of saying to Noem and her masked ICE storm troopers that when you mess with the Penske, INDYCAR and Indianapolis Motor Speedway brand, you had better say you’re sorry and not do it again.
We know there won’t be any retractions or apologies forthcoming, but it’s interesting that this administration is so willing to be disrespectful to a state whose voters have supported President Donald Trump with unwavering loyalty.
Guess that only matters if Noem can make up insulting names and make fun of the INDYCAR brand.
According to the Associated Press, family members of the people detained at Alligator Alcatraz have reported clogged toilets, sweltering temperatures and limited access to showers. Attorneys have reported difficulty reaching their clients being detained.
The Associated Press reported that people housed at the facility have had worm-infested food and seen fecal matter on the floors. AP reporting showed that more than 250 people housed at the detention center have only immigration violations, but no criminal record.
Is this what Indiana is going to provide when making its deal for funding for Speedway Slammer?
“My goal is that anything we’re doing for them that we get compensated for it,” Braun said of said of the federal government’s plans, according to the Indiana Capital Chronicle.
Spoken like a true Trump loyalist, Gov. Braun.
As long as Indiana gets paid for it, we don’t care who is insulted or how bad it makes Indiana look. And we’re sure this Republican administration can comply with the worm-infested food and clogged toilets if that is a requirement.
After all, the feds are paying Hoosiers for it, even while they make fun of Indiana while doing it.
