DeSantis doubles down on immigration jails with ‘deportation depot’ announcement while ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ faces closure

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced on Thursday that the state will open a second immigration detention facility, even as a federal judge considers whether to shut down the controversial existing facility in the Everglades. The timing of the announcement comes as the original detention center faces mounting legal challenges over environmental concerns and alleged poor conditions for detainees.

The new facility, which DeSantis will house at the Baker Correctional Institution in Sanderson, is expected to hold up to 1,300 undocumented immigrants awaiting deportation. DeSantis announced Thursday that the new facility is to be housed at the Baker Correctional Institution, a state prison about 43 miles west of Jacksonville.

DeSantis justified building the center that he dubbed ‘Deportation Depot,’ by saying the Trump administration needs the additional capacity, showing cooperation despite their past political rivalry to hold and deport more immigrants. The governor said he had originally looked at opening an immigration jail at Camp Blanding but concluded that Baker was a better option because it was a “one-stop shop” close to Lake City airport and its longer runway.

The Baker facility was chosen over other options for cost savings

DeSantis emphasized that repurposing an existing state prison offers significant savings compared to building from scratch. He estimated the build-out cost for the Baker site at $6 million. The Baker Correctional Institution was among three North Florida prisons that were temporarily closed in 2021 amid staffing shortages and a drop in inmate population during the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to Kevin Guthrie, director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, it could take two to three weeks to get the Baker site operational. Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie said the state has secured a $600+ million federal grant to reimburse the costs of both facilities. The governor gave no timeline for its opening but said the facility would be operational soon.

The development comes as environmental groups and the Miccosukee Tribe continue their legal battle against the Alligator Alcatraz facility. A federal judge has issued an order temporarily halting construction at an immigration center in Florida’s Everglades. The judge said the addition of lighting, paving, fencing, fill, and other buildings on the site must stop while she hears a challenge to the facility brought by environmental groups. The order by U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams temporarily bars the installation of any new industrial-style lighting, as well as any paving, filling, excavating, or fencing.

The crux of the plaintiffs’ argument is that the detention facility violates the National Environmental Policy Act, which requires federal agencies to assess the environmental effects of major construction projects. Legal advocates and relatives of immigrant detainees described the conditions as horrific, including cage-like units, mosquito infestations, and unsanitary conditions, raising questions about detention facility management practices. The six-week-old facility has been beset by allegations of “inhumane” conditions, including detainees held in cages in excessive heat, broken toilets and air conditioning, inadequate food, and claims that a respiratory virus was running rampant.