DeSantis plans for second immigrant detention facility in Florida

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday said his administration would soon convert the Baker Correctional Institution into a center to house illegal immigrants. Officials originally considered establishing the facility at the nearby Camp Blanding Florida National Guard training center. Baker Correctional Institution is located in the central Florida city of Sanderson, about 40 miles west of Jacksonville. Once it is converted, the facility will be capable of housing about 1,300 detainees and new temporary dormitories on the property could bring the capacity up to 2,000, said Executive Director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management Kevin Guthrie. The Florida Department of Corrections temporarily closed the Baker facility in 2021 due to staffing shortages. DeSantis said the new facility, which he dubbed Deportation Depot, would primarily process and deport illegal immigrants back to their home countries rather than housing them indefinitely. The center is about 15 minutes away from a small local airport.

Why is DeSantis building another detention center? The governor said the state needs additional capacity to handle immigration enforcement operations over what the planned facility in the Everglades will provide. That center, nicknamed Alligator Alcatraz, is expected to house up to 5,000 immigrants in heavy-duty tents, trailers, and other temporary buildings near a remote airport. DeSantis said last week that he will move forward with operations at the site, despite a judge ordering construction to halt for two weeks.

Are there other facilities under construction? The Department of Homeland Security last week said it was partnering with the state of Indiana to open a 1,000-bed center. That facility will be part of the Miami Correctional Center and has been dubbed the Speedway Slammer. Meanwhile, a West Texas facility at the Fort Bliss military base in El Paso is expected to become the largest federal detention facility in the country. All of the new facilities are being funded through federal government contracts.

Dig deeper: Read Josh Schumacher’s report about inmates facing uncertainty as they wait in Alligator Alcatraz.