Florida is advancing plans to expand its immigration detention system by constructing a second facility at Camp Blanding, a National Guard base in northeast Florida.
According to the Associated Press, this effort is in addition to an existing project that is currently underway at an isolated Everglades airstrip, dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz,” designed to hold migrants in a remote, environmentally sensitive area surrounded by wetlands.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) framed the initiative as Florida’s contribution to the federal immigration crackdown and a solution to overcrowded local jails.
The temporary Everglades facility, slated to hold 5,000 detainees, will be built with trailers and tents and is expected to be operational by early July.
“The capacity that will be added there will help the overall national mission,” DeSantis said.
The site’s isolation has raised concerns, however, and critics say the Everglades location — home to sacred Indigenous lands and difficult wildlife terrain — was chosen in part for its inaccessibility.
“Clearly, from a security perspective, if someone escapes, you know, there’s a lot of alligators,” DeSantis said. “No one’s going anywhere.”
The effort has drawn fire from environmentalists, county leaders, and immigrant rights groups, who call the plan inhumane.
“What’s happening is very concerning, the level of dehumanization,” said Maria Asuncion Bilbao of the American Friends Service Committee. “It’s like a theatricalization of cruelty.”
Florida’s Division of Emergency Management, which is overseeing the project, estimates the cost at $245 per bed daily — roughly $450 million a year.
While Florida fronts the funding, the Federal Emergency Management Agency is expected to reimburse the state. Planning is also underway to evacuate detainees during hurricanes, with evacuation sites to be determined based on storm conditions.
The expansion comes amid broader concerns about the state’s emergency preparedness.
Federal disaster assistance is expected to decline, and President Donald Trump has pledged to phase out the agency tasked with disaster response after the 2025 hurricane season, shifting more burden to states.
DeSantis confirmed similar plans are being explored for Camp Blanding in Northern Florida, noting that the Sunshine State is “working on that” to further increase detention capacity.
