The first detainees arrived to Florida’s second immigration detention facility, the Deportation Depot, on Tuesday, with reports indicating that 117 individuals now reside there.
The DeSantis administration shared photos of the second immigration detention facility — located at the Baker Correctional Institution — with Fox News. This location differs from Alligator Alcatraz as it actually is comprised of an unused portion of the Baker campus, which already had so much of the infrastructure they were looking for, saving millions of dollars — a prime reason Florida officials went with this location rather than Camp Blanding.
According to reports, the first detainees arrived on Tuesday, and it currently houses 117 detainees with a maximum capacity of 1,500.
This comes less than a month after Gov. Ron DeSantis initially announced the authorization of a second facility.
“So I’m here to announce today that we are authorizing and will be soon be opening this new illegal immigration detention processing and deportation facility here in North Florida. We are calling this the Deportation Depot,” DeSantis formally announced last month.
“It’s not going to take forever, but we’re also not rushing to do it right this day. They’re doing what they need to do to get it done in all deliberate speed. So I’m proud of them for their work. Florida is making a difference. This is a priority for the people of our state. It’s a priority for the people of this country. And I don’t want to see any more Angel Moms in Florida… because the laws weren’t being enforced,” DeSantis said during the press conference as Kevin Guthrie, Executive Director of the Florida Division Emergency Management, walked through some of the specs of the facility.
“This facility will act as a North-based site that will support the governor’s mission to keep Florida a law and order state and to ensure that Florida families remain safe,” he said, mentioning the special housing units, a 12-foot chain-link fence with razor-ribbon wire, and services that “meet or exceed the federal or state detention standard.”
“This facility is a permanent pre-existing structure, meaning that our teams can get in here [and] get it operational quickly, officially, and without delay,” Guthrie said at the time.
This comes as Florida saw a victory in its ongoing fight to keep Alligator Alcatraz opened in the Florida Everglades, as the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals stayed a lower court ruling against the state’s Alligator Alcatraz migrant detention facility, allowing it to continue operating for now.
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