TERRE HAUTE, IN – Indiana is poised to allocate a significant sum to prepare a state prison for a new federal partnership.

The Indiana Department of Correction (DOC) is requesting nearly $16 million in state funding to upgrade the Miami Correctional Facility to house federal immigration detainees.

The request, which will be considered by the State Budget Committee on Wednesday, comes after a recent agreement with the federal government to use up to 1,000 existing beds at the prison for immigration and law enforcement activity. The DOC’s funding request of $15,790,000 is intended for capital improvements necessary to operate the new detention facility.

These planned upgrades include enhancements to perimeter fencing and lighting, temporary housing structures, modifications to intake areas, and the installation of new security technologies such as drug detection and drone prevention systems.

According to the DOC, the funds would be reimbursed by the federal government once the agreement is finalized. The partnership is part of a wider effort to increase federal immigration detention capacity and has been dubbed the “Speedway Slammer” by federal officials, a name that has drawn criticism from IndyCar, the town of Speedway along with others in the state.

The Miami Correctional Facility is currently operating near capacity, and the move to house federal detainees has been met with both support and opposition.

The State Budget Committee will meet at Indiana State University to review the funding request, a key step in moving the new partnership forward.