Gov. DeSantis announces plans to construct second immigration detention facility, dubbed ‘Deportation Depot’

TOPSHOT - US President President Donald Trump (2L), Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (L), and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem (R) tour a migrant detention center, dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz," located at the site of the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport in Ochopee, Florida on July 1, 2025. President Trump is visiting a migrant detention center in a reptile-infested Florida swamp dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz." Trump will attend the opening of the 5,000-bed facility -- located at an abandoned airfield in the Everglades wetlands -- part of his expansion of deportations of undocumented migrants, his spokeswoman said. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP) (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)
US President President Donald Trump (2L), Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (L), and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem (R) tour a migrant detention center, dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz,” located at the site of the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport in Ochopee, Florida (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)

OAN Staff Blake Wolf
2:17 PM – Thursday, August 14, 2025

Florida GOP Governor Ron DeSantis announced that he is preparing to open a second immigration detention facility, dubbed “Departation Depot,” following the completion of “Alligator Alcatraz.”

DeSantis announced on Thursday that the facility will be constructed at the Baker Correctional Institution, which is around 43 miles west of downtown Jacksonville.

The facility is projected to accommodate 1,300 detention beds, with potential capacity expansion to 2,000 beds in the future.

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“There is a demand for this,” DeSantis stated at a press conference. “I’m confident that it will be filled.”

“We are authorizing and will be soon opening this new illegal immigration detention, processing, and deportation facility here in North Florida,” he continued.

DeSantis also noted that the projected construction cost of the facility is around $6 million, which is significantly cheaper than that of Alligator Alcatraz in the remote Florida Everglades.

“This part of the facility is not being used right now for the state prisoners. It just gives us an ability to go in, stand it up quickly, stand it up cheaply,” DeSantis stated.

The Baker Correctional Institute was also chosen in part due to the facility being “right down the road” from Lake City Gateway Airport — allowing for the seamless departure of deportation flights.

The facility is reportedly set to open in two or three weeks from now, the Associated Press reported. Additionally, it will be staffed by the Florida National Guard, along with the state contractors “as needed,” according to DeSantis.

Last Thursday, U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams issued a temporary restraining order halting further construction at Alligator Alcatraz following a lawsuit filed by environmental groups and the Miccosukee Tribe. The lawsuit alleged that the facility was built without conducting the required environmental reviews, thereby violating federal laws. The plaintiffs argue that the detention center threatens sensitive wetlands and sacred lands, including habitats for endangered species like the Florida panther.

In response, DeSantis has indicated plans to appeal any unfavorable rulings and has emphasized the state’s commitment to enforcing federal immigration laws.

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