State Budget Committee approves $16 million for Miami Correctional Facility upgrades

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - On Wednesday, the State Budget Committee gave the Indiana Department of Correction the go-ahead to use $16 million in the budget to upgrade the Miami Correctional Facility. This comes as the DOC prepares to use the facility as an ICE detention site-specifically making available 1,000 beds for detainees.




DOC Commissioner Lloyd Arnold said while some of the money will go towards security upgrades like new fencing, lighting, and drone detection systems, most of the money will go towards temporary staff housing, and relocating DOC staff from across the state to Miami.




"When we asked for this and we went to speak with ICE, we wanted to make sure this wasn't going to cost taxpayers anything," Commissioner Arnold said.




State Rep. Gregory W. Porter (D-Indianapolis) and State Rep. Ed DeLaney (D-Indianapolis) expressed concerns that the agreement between ICE and the DOC does not require the federal government to pay back the $16 million. Commissioner Arnold said he's confident the per diem rate the federal government will pay per detainee will cover the $16 million price tag.




"We would not be doing it if there were not a built-in profit," Commissioner Arnold said.




According to a spokesperson for the Governor's Office, the federal government has agreed to reimburse Indiana at least $80 million over the next two years to detain undocumented immigrants at Miami. If the facility maintains its max capacity of 1,000 detainees, that number jumps to more than $200 million.




"I don't think [the DOC] would have offered [Miami] if they couldn't handle it, and it will be, the federal government is paying for it," Gov. Braun said during an interview in August.




But Democrats on the State Budget Committee also said they're concerned about a provision that ICE will not detain any undocumented immigrants with pending criminal charges in Miami.




"As I understand this agreement, if there is a criminal, they're not going to be in there?" State Rep. DeLaney asked Commissioner Arnold.




 "There are not current charges against them," Commissioner Arnold responded.




Gov. Braun has repeatedly said the state would help ICE as long as they focus on going after the "worst first."




"I, as the leader of our state here, said we're going to cooperate with them so long as we're focusing on the people that came into the country illegally and then broke the law to boot," Gov. Braun said during the same aforementioned interview.




According to Commissioner Arnold, the facility will hold adult males only. The agreement between ICE and the DOC will go into effect on Oct. 1





via: https://fox59.com/indianapolitics/state-budget-committee-approves-16-million-for-miami-correctional-facility-upgrades/