Is ICE eyeing Indy as a possible site for a large-scale detention facility?

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Another national news report has identified Indiana as a possible site for a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility — this time, in the state capital.

Indianapolis was named on a list of potential sites where ICE is considering buying a warehouse to house its immigrant detainees, according to U.S. Department of Homeland Security internal documents obtained by The New York Times.

The Times reported last week that ICE had proposed purchasing a facility in the city that would be able to hold 8,500 beds. The report did not specify where that warehouse might be located.

While it remains unclear whether the agency plans to pursue a facility in Indianapolis, area officials are pushing back.

U.S. Rep. André Carson, who represents Indiana’s 7th Congressional District, which includes Indianapolis, wrote on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday that he was against ICE’s potential involvement in the city, saying the agency is “not welcome.”

Despite the condemnation, a spokesperson with Carson’s office could not confirm the reports of a potential facility, telling The Lawyer in a written statement they had not received any additional information from DHS.

The federal agency did not immediately respond to The Lawyer’s request to confirm whether it was considering purchasing a facility in Indianapolis.

City officials also said they have yet to hear from the feds.

The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department deferred comment to Mayor Joe Hogsett’s office. A spokesperson there told The Indiana Lawyer in a written statement Thursday that the city has “no knowledge of this potential purchase.”

“We do not welcome or support this in our community,” the spokesperson said.

Representatives from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office did not respond to The Indiana Lawyer’s requests for comment in time for publication.

It’s not the first time the federal government has looked to Indiana for help with its immigration enforcement activities.

The Miami Correctional Facility in Bunker Hill, Indiana — dubbed “the Speedway Slammer” last year by Trump administration officials — is set to house up to 1,000 immigrant detainees after state officials approved $16 million for facility upgrades last fall.

In recent months, Merrillville has gained attention for reportedly being on ICE’s radar. According to a Dec. 24 report by The Washington Post citing internal documents reviewed by its staff, ICE was planning to establish more than a dozen processing and detention centers across the country — and identified Merrillville as a possible host city.

Although Merrillville officials had not officially heard anything from the federal government, the town council publicly opposed such a move, saying in a Jan. 28 press release that a detention or processing facility “does not align with Merrillville’s values, planning standards or vision for the future.”

And just a few weeks ago, Carmel Police Chief Drake Sterling said in a written statement that his department had been notified that ICE would be establishing an office in the city.

Recent reporting by The Washington Post indicates ICE expects to spend more than $38 billion on its plans to acquire warehouses to hold detainees.

On Wednesday, the Indiana Legislature advanced a bill that, among other things, bars governmental bodies or schools from restricting federal immigration actions. According to the bill, those entities can still face civil action from the state attorney general even if they did not knowingly or intentionally violate the law. That bill, known as the FAIRNESS Act, now heads to Gov. Mike Braun’s desk.