(The Center Square) – Deportation Depot, a second immigration detention facility in Florida, has been proposed by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
The second-term Republican while in Sanderson on Thursday said another location is needed as a complement to Alligator Alcatraz, the first such facility he opened on an isolated airport in the Everglades. U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams has put a 14-day stoppage to additional construction there while considering environmental issues.
The 1,300-bed facility at Baker Correctional Institution, about 40 miles from Jacksonville in the northern part of the state, could be expanded to 2,000. It could begin housing people illegally in America on or before Labor Day, according to an estimate from state Emergency Management.
DeSantis said, “Florida’s new Deportation Depot will begin housing, detaining, and processing illegal aliens for deportation, in coordination with federal authorities. With Alligator Alcatraz operating in South Florida and Deportation Depot authorized in North Florida, we are ramping up our capacity to deport more foreign criminals every day. Florida will always stand for the rule of law and put the safety of our citizens first.”
Kristi Noem, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, has praised the Florida initiatives.
The governor said costs would be reimbursed by federal partners.
The judicial order on Alligator Alcatraz at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Facility about 50 miles from Miami doesn’t stop use of the facility. Rather, it does halt construction. The state and the administration of President Donald Trump are allowed to use the facility and house detainees.