Extremists Want to Turn Community Centers Into Detention Centers
Billings, Montana Demonstrates the Power of Pushing Back
Right-wing extremists are trying to turn our sacred community spaces into ICE detention centers. But fighting back is working. I can’t wait to tell you what is happening in Billings, MT.
We talked about this during our Substack Live a couple of weeks ago when Ione, a Project 2025 Takedown reader, shared county commissioners’ plans to turn MetraPark into a large-scale ICE detention facility.
Here’s a clip:
According to the ICE website, more than 100 migrant detention centers already exist throughout the country, but extremists are clamoring for more and trying to co-opt public spaces for their dangerous agenda.
In January, the chairman of the Yellowstone County Commission sent a letter to Montana’s Republican congressmen and senators, offering the MetraPark as a detention center for migrants. MetraPark is Montana’s largest public event facility — and according to the chairman, the only conceivable place to house migrants. Rep. Ryan Zinke, who doesn’t even live in or represent Billings, jumped on the bully bandwagon.
The Metra was created in 1975 through a county bond to provide Billings with an arena for entertainment, trade and recreation. The name is an acronym for Montana Entertainment Trade and Recreation Arena. The goal was to provide these amenities as well as boost the local economy. In 2023, events at the Metra generated $110.7 million for the local economy.
When I heard about county commissioner’s plans, I felt sick. Montana’s migrant population is nominal — undocumented or not. Montana’s Native American population, however, is huge. There are 12 recognized tribes in Montana, and while it’s obvious to you and I that Native Americans are more American than those of us whose ancestors migrated here, it’s apparently not as obvious to the Trump administration. In one of the most absurdly racist arguments I’ve ever heard, Trump has gone after Indian citizenship to support his argument to end birthright citizenship. So who would the detention facility really be for?
“In defending the constitutionality of the executive order, the U.S. Department of Justice erroneously argued in court that Indigenous people didn’t have birthright citizenship, so neither should the children of noncitizen immigrants.”
Reports of Navajo people being detained in immigration sweeps sparks concern from tribal leaders by The Daily Montanan
This isn’t the first time Billings has had to stand up against racism to protect a vulnerable population.
In the early 1990s, Billings rallied around a Jewish family that was terrorized when someone threw a rock through a child’s bedroom window. A non-profit was formed called “Not in our Town.” The Billings Gazette printed a full page menorah for everyone to place in windows, churches and community members joined in supporting the family and Jewish community.
Ione said turning the Metra into a detention facility for migrants defies its purpose as an entertainment center — and Billings’ history of standing up for its neighbors. The campus covers 189 acres and includes the main arena, two separate pavilions and the fairgrounds. Changing the use of any portion of the area, renders the rest of the property unusable for public use. Billings and the surrounding area would lose the space that is used for trade exhibitions, 4-H events, high school sport tournaments, high school graduations, concerts, the county fair, conventions and more.
“The Metra was designed and sold to the public as an entertainment center, not a detention center,” she said. “This flies in the face of the intended use for the facilities and what taxpayers pay for. I am opposed to my taxes going to fund a detention center for illegal immigrants, as are many others in the community.”
Ione was one of many who provided public comment against changing the purpose of the Metra. The opposition to the detention facility was plenty. Multiple protests took place in the weeks after Trump’s inauguration, including a display at Billings First Congregational Church of a cage with a mannequin woman and baby inside. A sign behind the mannequin that reads “Not in Our Town” is reminiscent of the campaign to protect the Jewish community.
Fortunately, the protests and large public outcry worked. Just as I was about to hit publish on this article, Stoney Field, the general manager of MetraPark posted on Facebook that the facility won’t be used as a detention facility.
“MetraPark is committed to continue to be a direct economic driver to the community by providing the services and facilities to house events throughout the year for our region,” Fields wrote, pointedly adding the facility will continue to provide a diversity of events to a diverse group of people.
Billings’ willingness to stand up against extremism and lock arms around the community’s most vulnerable citizens is a microcosm of what can be done nationwide. Billings has shown us the power of using our voices, even when it feels like no one is listening.
We need a holding center for racist politicians in Siberia!
Zillnke showing his sleezy slithering head again