Florida Opens New Immigration Detention Center, Dubbed “Deportation Depot“

The Florida government opened a new immigration custody center this week, which is “Deportation Depot.” It is indeed located on the premises of the former baker correctional institution in Sanderson, about 70 kilometers west of Jacksonville.

The facility, operational as Tuesday, has an initial capacity of 1,500 detainees, even though authorities state it might very well be expanded to up to 2,000 beds.

Governor Ron DeSantis assured during a press conference that there is “demand” and that he “is convinced it will be filled.”

A Reactivated Prison for Immigration Purposes

The prison system, which has been closed as 2021 due to staffing shortages and a decline in the inmate population, was rebuilt in just a few weeks to serve as the center for immigration custody. According to DeSantis, “there was a huge part of the center that was unused. It was an immediate prospect that could be used.”

The Attorney General of Florida, James Uthmeier, said in an interview with fox News that reusing this prison represents a significant saving for the state: “We will use all available rooms. We will quickly occupy it and use it well.”

The conversion of the center cost an estimated six million dollars, considerably less than the over 245 million dollars planned for the state’s first migration center, known as „Alligator Alcatraz,” which was built in the Everglades.

Reactions and Legal Context

The opening of the „Deportation depot” follows a Federal Court of Appeal lifting the order of a judge who sought to halt operations at “Alligator alcatraz.”

Judge Kathleen williams had ordered the suspension of the Everglades center after a lawsuit was filed by environmental organizations and the Miccosukee tribe, which denounced violations of federal law due to a lack of environmental assessments in a protected wetland.