Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Thursday that his state is opening a second migrant detention facility, dubbed the “deportation depot,” to help President Trump achieve his mass deportations.

It will make use of vacant space at a prison in Sanderson, west of Jacksonville, and could hold more than 1,300 migrants, the Republican governor said.

It follows on “Alligator Alcatraz,” his state’s first migrant detention facility that opened last month.

Mr. DeSantis had originally been looking at using a Florida National Guard site but then realized the prison space was available. And with Lake City Gateway Airport 15 minutes down the road, migrants who are ordered deported can be flown out quickly.

“We want to process, stage and then return illegal aliens to their home country. That is the name of the game, and that’s what we do in Florida,” the governor said.

Mr. DeSantis said the prison is part of his push to help Mr. Trump, building on his efforts to ban sanctuary cities and press for more cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

“We have done more on this than any other state by a country mile,” he said.

Given its location in a prison, converting it to a migrant holding facility will be relatively easy, the governor said.

That was not the case for Alligator Alcatraz, which involved erecting a tent city and adding to infrastructure at an airport in the Everglades.

The state’s forward-leaning push on immigration has drawn criticism — and lawsuits — from activists.

A federal judge has halted new construction at Alligator Alcatraz over environmental concerns, though that ruling has allowed the facility to remain operational.

Part of the legal question in that lawsuit is whether U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement or Florida has functional control of the facility.

The federal Homeland Security Department is trying to ramp up its detention space to achieve Mr. Trump’s goal of mass deportations.

ICE had about 57,000 people in detention as of the end of July, though that should soon grow. Mr. Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill budget law includes funding for 100,000 beds.

Mr. DeSantis said the federal government is reimbursing Florida for its facilities.

Homeland Security has also announced a deal with Indiana to use detention space at what it’s calling the “Speedway Slammer.”

Secretary Kristi Noem said the space at the Miami Correctional Center in Bunker Hill, Indiana, will have 1,000 beds.

The locations matter because if detention space is nearby, it makes arrest and deportation operations more feasible.

“The one thing that DHS kept telling us is that you’re apprehending illegal aliens faster than we can hold, process and deport them,” Mr. DeSantis said.

He said his facilities should take care of that hurdle.

• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.