This story was originally published by WFYI Public Media
By Samantha Horton
WFYI Public Media
May 17, 2026
Standing at the roundabout outside the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Bonnie Feikes held a sign reading “End ICE Detention at Miami.”
“It’s just really simple. Has nothing to do with politics, it has to do with right and wrong, and what they’re doing to these detainees,” Feikes said, “including just taking them in as detainees, is just wrong.”
Some drivers passing by honked in agreement, others yelled in support of U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement. Feikes said for her the rally is about awareness.
“Even to get them to think that, ‘well, why are these people standing out here’,” Feikes said. “If it just changes one person, it’s worth it.”
Feikes was one of about two dozen people that gathered in Speedway to protest ICE and the agency’s use of Indiana’s Miami Correctional Facility to house detainees.
It was one of nearly 30 scheduled call to action events organized by the Indiana Organizing Project that took place across the state Saturday.
Demi Abbett was at the rally outside IMS and said she supports ending detentions at the facility.
“We want our state leaders to make this happen, where they’re not allowed to find beds here. If ICE has no beds, they can detain less people,” Abbett said.
The rally outside the speedway had an unlikely connection to the detention facility outside of Kokomo.
“People have been calling it the ‘Speedway Slammer,’ which is not okay,” Abbett said. “And so we’re out here to sort of just make people aware that that’s still happening.”
When the U.S. Department of Homeland Security first announced its plans to hold more detainees in the state last year; it coined the Miami Correctional Facility the “Speedway Slammer” with a logo of an IndyCar.
The partnership with the state provides up to 1,000 beds at Miami Correctional.
IndyCar and IMS officials quickly released a corporate statement and distanced themselves from the announcement.
“We were unaware of plans to incorporate our imagery as part of yesterday’s 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.”
As of now, roughly 600 men are being held at the state maximum security prison. Detainees have reported poor treatment and spoke with U.S. Representative Andre Carson when he visited last month. Following his tour and meetings with detainees and people incarcerated there, Carson called for an end to detention at the facility.
“They are not violent criminals, and they don’t deserve to be detained,” Carson said.
The last scheduled day of action event was a vigil on Mass Ave. in Downtown Indianapolis Saturday night.
A group gathered in front of the Ann Dancing artwork. People held candles, signed a banner and sang songs of resistance and hope.
Vigil organizer Kim Saylor handed out postcards with information about the movement to end ICE detention at Miami. The cards also encouraged people to write a letter to the Commissioner of the Indiana Department of Correction to end its agreement with ICE.
Saylor said they had to do something and wanted to create a space for people to come together.
“We sing because it hurts, and we worry about our family that doesn’t look as white as us and we help where we can,” Saylor said. “What I see here tonight is a bunch of people that care just like I do, and it doesn’t matter what you do to us, you can’t make us stop caring.”
Contact WFYI All Things Considered newscaster and reporter Samantha Horton at shorton@wfyi.org or on Signal at SamHorton.05
