Where immigrants are being detained in Indiana
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Indiana is home to an immigrant detention center holding more detainees than any other facility in the Midwest, according to newly released federal data.
The big picture: The data sheds light on the housing arrangements federal officials have made for detainees at a time when the U.S. government's immigration centers are at near capacity — and the Trump White House is pushing for dramatically more arrests.
Zoom in: The Clay County Justice Center in Brazil has an average population of 224 detainees, per an Axios review of data collected by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC).
- That makes it the largest detainment center in the Midwest, followed by Minnesota's Kandiyohi County Jail (138 detainees), Michigan's Calhoun County Correctional Center (135) and Wisconsin's Dodge County Jail (108).
The latest: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Indiana garnered national attention last week when a video of two men from Honduras being detained by federal agents in Indianapolis went viral.
- The arrest happened the morning of Feb. 28 near the intersection of West 29th Street and I-65 as the men drove to work.
- Both men were taken to the Clay County facility following their detainment. One man has since been transferred to a facility in Louisiana.
- On Sunday, dozens of people, including the woman who posted the video, protested the arrest during a demonstration organized by the Indianapolis chapter of the Party for Socialism and Liberation near the site of the incident.
- Additional information about the detainment has not been released. Axios has reached out to ICE for comment.
Zoom out: ICE currently has the capacity to hold about 42,000 people nationwide. The agency is holding 41,169 as of its Feb. 9 update.
- Nearly 55% of those have no criminal record, and many more have committed only minor offenses such as traffic violations, TRAC found.
How it works: Immigrants can end up in ICE detention after being arrested by ICE or the U.S. Border Patrol.
- Immigrants also can end up in detention after being arrested on criminal charges and released into ICE custody.
- Detention facilities can be run by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Prisons, state or local governments, private contractors, the U.S. Marshals Service or facilities ICE has for families.
Between the lines: Holding immigrants in detention is the largest cost of the deportation process.
- A backlog of 3.7 million cases in immigration courts, where immigrants are entitled to make their case to stay in the U.S., means detained immigrants can wait months, even years, for a hearing.
- Undocumented immigrants facing criminal charges can't be deported immediately, as President Trump has suggested. Instead, they typically have to go through the criminal justice system, serve sentences if found guilty, and then face deportation.
Go deeper: Trump promises more arrests after pro-Palestinian activist detained by ICE