Marion County IN — 8,500-Bed Mega-Facility Proposed, Jail at Capacity
The Proposal
Internal DHS documents reviewed by the New York Times reveal Indianapolis is under consideration for a massive warehouse-to-detention conversion holding 7,000-10,000 detainees, targeted for activation by November 30, 2026. This would be one of the largest ICE facilities in the country.
The Capacity Crisis
Marion County Jail hit capacity and the sheriff announced it would no longer hold people for ICE beyond 48 hours — a significant pushback driven by operational strain, not politics. 438 ICE detainees were held in the first four months of 2025 alone. Attorneys call the U.S. Marshals Service contract a “backdoor” for ICE holds.
Already Activated
Miami Correctional Facility in Bunker Hill (~90 min north of Indianapolis) began housing up to 1,000 ICE detainees in October 2025 — a state prison converted to federal immigration detention.
Opposition
- Mayor Hogsett: “We do not welcome or support this in our community”
- Rep. Andre Carson: “Here’s my message to ICE: you’re not welcome”
- Merrillville Town Council: Passed resolution opposing ICE facility placement
- Detention Watch Network: Condemned the Midwest expansion
Why This Matters
Indianapolis is being assembled into a three-layer Midwest deportation hub: county jail (overflow pipeline), state prison (1,000 beds activated), and proposed warehouse mega-center (8,500 beds). The sheriff’s 48-hour cutoff shows the system is already straining — and the mega-facility is the answer to that strain.