DeSantis announced Thursday that the new facility is to be housed at the Baker Correctional Institution, a state prison about 43 miles west of downtown Jacksonville. It is expected to hold 1,300 immigration detention beds, though that capacity could be expanded to 2,000, state officials said.
After opening the Everglades facility last month, DeSantis justified building the second detention center that he dubbed “Deportation Depot,” by saying President Donald Trump’s administration needs the additional capacity to hold and deport more immigrants.
“There is a demand for this,” DeSantis said. “I’m confident that it will be filled.”
Just a few weeks ago, DeSantis announced the opening of the first Florida detention which has been given the name Alligator Alcatraz.
Attorneys for some of the detainees there are claiming that their clients are not being properly cared for.
