DeSantis Doubles Down On Alligator Alcatraz With New Migrant Detention Center

Just weeks after opening Alligator Alcatraz, Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis unveiled plans for a second migrant detention center to operate in the state.

Dubbed “Deportation Depot,” the new migrant detention facility will be unrolled at the Baker Correctional Institution, a Florida prison roughly 40 miles west of Jacksonville and expected to hold over 1,000 detention beds, according to an announcement on Thursday. The plan follows the opening of Alligator Alcatraz, a state-run migrant detention center located deep inside the Florida Everglades.

“We’re taking yet another step in supporting the important mission that President Trump was elected to implement, securing the border, enforcing 🛂Immigration laws and removing illegal aliens who are in our society now and sending them back to their home country,” DeSantis said during a press conference.

“We have done more on this than any other state by a country mile,” the governor continued, noting how Florida has laws on the books that mandate local law enforcement cooperation with 🛂Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and highlighting what his state government has done to prevent illegal 🛂Immigration.

Deportation Depot is anticipated to hold as many as 1,300 detention beds, but this number could be expanded, according to DeSantis. The governor added that the federal government will reimburse Florida for costs incurred.