Florida’s Republican Governor, Ron DeSantis, is setting the stage for the opening of a second immigration detention facility. This new facility is planned at a state prison in north Florida. Meanwhile, the future of the state’s current detention center, located at a remote airstrip in the Florida Everglades and often referred to as “Alligator Alcatraz,” lies in the hands of a federal judge.
DeSantis made public on Thursday that the new facility will be situated at the Baker Correctional Institution, a state prison roughly 43 miles west of downtown Jacksonville. According to state officials, the facility is projected to contain 1,300 immigration detention beds. However, this capacity could be expanded to 2,000 if required.
DeSantis reportedly opened the Everglades facility last month. Justifying the construction of the second detention center, termed the “Deportation Depot,” DeSantis argues that the Trump administration requires additional capacity to detain and deport more immigrants. “There is a demand for this,” DeSantis stated. “I’m confident that it will be filled.”
The governor emphasized the cost-effectiveness and convenience of establishing the North Florida facility at an existing prison, putting the estimated cost at around $6 million. This figure stands in stark contrast to the hundreds of millions of dollars committed by the state to construct the extensive network of tents and trailers at the Everglades facility.
The new facility at the state prison could be operational in two to three weeks, according to Kevin Guthrie, the director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, the agency overseeing the construction of the immigration facilities. It is worth mentioning that in 2021, the state announced plans to temporarily close the prison due to persistent staffing shortages.
While DeSantis assures that detainees at the new facility will have access to “the same services” as those at the state’s original detention center, attorneys for detainees at the Everglades facility have expressed grave concerns about the conditions there. They report symptoms of COVID-19 amongst the detainees who are not separated from the general population.
These alarming conditions at the existing detention center were detailed in a filing made ahead of a hearing over the detainees’ legal rights. Civil rights attorneys are seeking assurance from U.S. District Judge Rodolfo Ruiz that detainees at the facility will have confidential access to their lawyers, a right they claim has been denied. They are also advocating for the designation of an immigration court with jurisdiction over the detention center to facilitate petitions for the detainees’ bond or release.
In conclusion, a second immigration detention facility is planned for North Florida as concerns continue to mount over conditions at the existing facility in the Everglades. This raises important questions about detainee treatment, legal rights, and the broader implications of our immigration policies.
