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Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration is preparing to open a second immigration detention facility at a state prison in north Florida, as a federal judge decides the fate of the state’s holding center for immigrants at an isolated airstrip in the Florida Everglades dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz.”
DeSantis announced Thursday that the new facility is to be housed at the Baker Correctional Institution, a state prison about 43 miles (69 kilometers) west of Jacksonville. It is expected to hold 1,300 immigration detention beds, though that capacity could be expanded to 2,000, state officials said.
After opening the Everglades facility last month, DeSantis justified opening the second detention center, dubbed “Deportation Depot” by the state, by saying President Donald Trump’s administration needs the additional capacity to hold and deport more immigrants.
“There is a demand for this,” DeSantis said. “I’m confident it will be filled.”
The Associated Press reported that, last week, U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams ordered a 14-day halt on additional construction at the Alligator Alcatraz site while witnesses testified at a hearing, part of a lawsuit seeking to halt operations and further construction. The temporary order doesn’t include any restrictions on law enforcement or immigration enforcement activity.
The judge concluded a multi-day hearing on Wednesday without making an immediate decision on whether to issue a preliminary injunction.
President Donald Trump toured the facility last month and suggested it could be a model for future lockups nationwide as his administration races to expand the infrastructure necessary for increasing deportations.
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