Florida will open a second immigration detention, processing and deportation facility, dubbed "Deportation Depot" by Gov. Ron DeSantis, in about two weeks.
The new site, at the Baker Correctional Institution near Lake City in the northeast part of the state, will house more than 1,300 people, the governor and other state officials announced at an Aug. 14 news conference. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents will use the nearby Lake City Gateway Airport to transport immigrants.
"This is a priority for the people of our state; it's a priority for the people of this country," DeSantis said.
The state had intended to use the Florida National Guard's nearby Camp Blanding as its second immigrant detention facility, but DeSantis said the Baker Correctional Institution would be more economical, costing about $6 million to get it "up and running."
The facility was originally closed because of a staffing shortage within the Florida Department of Corrections, but DeSantis said the Florida National Guard will staff the center. (Baker Correctional Institution is not the same as the Baker County Detention Center, which is already an ICE detention facility.)
