(NewsNation) — Following the construction of “Alligator Alcatraz,” a second immigration detention facility will open in Florida, this time at a prison in the northern region of the state, Gov. Ron DeSantis has announced.
The facility — dubbed “Deportation Depot” — will be housed at the Baker Correctional Institution, located about 50 miles west of Jacksonville.
It could house up to 1,300 beds, according to officials, though its max capacity could eventually grow to 2,000. “There is a demand for this,” DeSantis said Thursday. “I’m confident it will be filled.”
LA schools creating ‘safe zones’ to help students avoid ICE
The new detention center will be located near Lake City Gateway Airport, which will be used for deportation flights, NewsNation local affiliate WFLA reported.
The announcement comes as a federal judge weighs the fate of Florida’s “Alligator Alcatraz” detention center, located in the Everglades in the footprint of an abandoned airport. Since its opening last month, the facility has faced fierce blowback for the living conditions on the premises and the potential environmental harm it could cause.
