


Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) unveiled plans for Florida‘s second illegal immigration detention center on Thursday, this time in North Florida, called “Deportation Depot.”
The successor to “Alligator Alcatraz” will be housed at the Baker Correctional Institution, a state prison about 43 miles west of downtown Jacksonville.
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The governor said he believes the additional capacity for illegal immigrants is needed. The new facility is expected to hold 1,300 immigration detention beds, but could be expanded to 2,000 if needed.
“There is a demand for this,” DeSantis said. “I’m confident that it will be filled.”
He touted the ease and financial efficiency of setting up the facility, estimating the build-out cost at $6 million. The “Alligator Alcatraz” facility costs about $450 million to operate for a single year.

“This part of the facility is not being used right now for the state prisoners. It just gives us an ability to go in, stand it up quickly, stand it up cheaply,” he said. DeSantis emphasized that the detention facility is a temporary holding center.
“The reason for this is not just to house people indefinitely,” DeSantis said. “We want to process, stage and then return illegal aliens to their home country. That’s the name of the game.”
Kevin Guthrie, the director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, says the facility could still take around 2 to 3 weeks to set up. The prison was to be temporarily closed in 2021 due to staffing shortages.
“A building that’s been dormant now for a couple of years is going to have some unforeseen challenges,” Guthrie said.
The Florida governor says prisoners will have the same services as at “Alligator Alcatraz,” which has been maligned for alleged lackluster conditions. Attorneys for the detainees at the first facility have said they aren’t separated when they show symptoms of COVID-19 and rainwater floods their tents.
“Recent conditions at Alligator Alcatraz have fueled a sense of desperation among detainees,” the attorneys said in a court filing. A hearing is to be held next Monday concerning the legal rights of the detainees.
The Trump administration is aiming to deport one million immigrants annually and will need detention space to do so. 56,679 migrants are currently in ICE detention centers, according to NBC News.
NOEM REVEALS PLANS FOR ‘ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ’ SUCCESSOR IN INDIANA CALLED ‘SPEEDWAY SLAMMER’
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem revealed plans for an immigration detention facility in Indiana earlier this month called the “Speedway Slammer.”
The proposed facility is to be located at the Miami Correctional Facility near Bunker Hill, Indiana, and will add 1,000 beds to Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s detention capacity.