Trump said he really likes the Florida deportation centers. DeSantis to open another one: “We are authorizing and opening soon”
Florida – Donald Trump has made it clear that he backs Florida’s growing network of deportation centers, calling them a model that he wants to see used all around the country. His statements came at the same time as Governor Ron DeSantis announced the opening of another immigration detention center in Florida, which shows how aggressive the state is on immigration enforcement.
DeSantis showed out a new building called the “Deportation Depot” at a news conference on Thursday. It is at Baker Correctional Institution in Sanderson, which is not far from Lake City Airport. The governor said the complex will be a central location for detaining, processing, and deporting people who are in the country illegally.
“We are authorizing and will be soon opening this new illegal immigration detention, processing, and deportation facility,” DeSantis said. “We’ve been securing the border, enforcing immigration laws, and removing illegal aliens… We have done more on this than any other state by a country mile.”
The Baker County prison can keep more than 1,300 detainees, which increases Florida’s ability to handle immigration cases. This is the second big change to the state’s incarceration system in just two months. The state has established “Alligator Alcatraz,” a high-capacity correctional center in the Everglades near the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport. That facility can hold up to 3,000 people in temporary tents, and it has quickly become one of the most visible symbols of Florida’s efforts to stop illegal immigration.
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But the inauguration of Alligator Alcatraz has caused a lot of legal trouble. Earlier this month, U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams granted a temporary injunction stopping additional work on the site after environmental groups and the Miccosukee Tribe filed cases. They say that this plant is against federal environmental laws, such as the National Environmental Policy Act, since it threatens sensitive wetlands. The judge stopped new construction, including fencing, dorms, or administrative buildings, but he let the institution keep running and holding detainees.
DeSantis has strongly opposed the verdict, promising that deportation operations would continue without stopping. “Operations at Alligator Alcatraz are ongoing and deportations are continuing,” he wrote on X. Alex Lanfranconi, his communications director, stressed that the court’s decision “will have no effect on immigration enforcement in Florida.” He framed the site as an important part of the state’s larger campaign to get rid of undocumented immigrants.
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The environmental dispute is not the only challenge facing Alligator Alcatraz. Civil rights groups have also sued the state, saying it is keeping detainees in unsafe and inhumane conditions. The hearing for the case is set on August 18. It may make things even worse for Florida’s newest facility. Some people say that the site was opened prematurely without adequate preparation or consideration for detainee welfare.
Trump has praised the endeavor, saying he likes what Florida has constructed and wants to see “similar centers in many states.” His support gives DeSantis political cover while the governor cracks down even harder on immigration at the state level. DeSantis’s quick opening of places like Deportation Depot and Alligator Alcatraz is part of a bigger plan to make Florida the best state in the country at controlling immigration.
Supporters believe the additional centers provide Florida the space it needs and show that the state is willing to step in where the federal government has, in their opinion, failed. Opponents say that the developments could harm protected areas, break the law, and put inmates at risk. In the next few weeks, while the environmental study is still going on and the civil rights lawsuit is still pending, we will find out how far DeSantis can go with his immigration plan in Florida and whether other states will follow Trump’s example.
