Hundreds protest plan to convert Camp Atterbury into detention center
JOHNSON COUNTY — Sunday afternoon, hundreds gathered at Johnson County Park to protest a federal plan that would turn nearby Camp Atterbury into an ICE detention facility.
Camp Atterbury, a 34,000-acre site, is owned by the federal government and licensed to the Indiana National Guard. The facility has been at the center of a growing debate.
Protesters, concerned citizens and local leaders rallied to oppose what they call an inhumane and misguided decision.
Hollie Payton, one of the attendees, expressed deep concern about the implications of detaining immigrants at the military site.
“It’s gut-wrenching that Indiana has now become ground zero for these things,” said Payton. “They’re humans regardless if they have their documents or not.”
Democratic congressional candidate Brad Meyer, who helped lead the rally, called the proposal “inhumane, fiscally irresponsible and out of step with Indiana’s values.”
The federal plan has sparked sharp political divisions in Indiana.
In July, Republican leaders voiced support for the conversion of Camp Atterbury into a detention center.
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