“This is a priority for the people in our state, and this is a priority for the people in this country,” said Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Deportation begins with “Crocodile Alcatraz.”
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis spoke at the “Alligator Alcatraz” Immigration Detention Center in the Everglades on Friday morning. Desantis provided an update on current deportation flights operating from the facility’s onsite runways, highlighting its role in accelerating the removal of detainees. Marie Edinger from Fox 35 breaks down what’s discussed.
Fox-35 Orlando
- Florida will open a second immigration detention facility at Baker Correctional Facility.
- “Deportation Depot” accommodates more than 1,300 people and will be used to remove Lake City Gateway Airport.
- The state aims to receive a federal refund for immigration enforcement costs.
In about two weeks, Florida will open a second immigrant detention, processing and deportation facility called the “deportation depot” by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
The new site at Baker Correctional Facility near Lake City in the northeastern part of the state will house more than 1,300 people, announced by the governor and other state officials at an August 14 press conference. US immigration and customs enforcement agencies use nearby Lake City Gateway Airport to transport immigrants.
“This is a priority for the people in our state, it is a priority for the people in this country,” DeSantis said.
The state intended to use camp branding near the Florida State Guard as a second immigration detention facility, but DeSantis said the Baker Correctional Facility is more economical and would cost around $6 million to “run up and run.”
The facility was originally closed within the Florida Department of Corrections due to a shortage of personnel, but DeSantis said the Florida State Guard will serve as staff at the center. (Baker Correctional Facility is not the same as Baker County Detention Center, which is already an ice detention facility.)
Desantis said using the Baker Correctional Institution, or Baker CI, “it’s far less than done blindly, and much less than had to do with crocodile Alcatraz.”
The state poured money into the Everglades site, officially known as the South Florida detention facility that opened on July 1. The state contract is expected to show the facility’s setup of over $250 million, costing $450 million a year.
DESANTIS: Fed reimburses states for immigration enforcement costs
DeSantis said the federal government will refund the state for immigration enforcement. Florida Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie said the agency has been receiving a $655 million grant in collaboration with the federal government for the past three months.
The federal government recently injected $170 billion into the Department of Homeland Security’s immigration and border-related activities.
Larry Keefe, director of the state’s immigration executive committee, criticised the “weaponized judiciary with left-wing lawyers” and “around flank attacks” and said he was trying to hamper the state’s immigration detention efforts.
Friends of the Everglades, a Florida Indian micro-ske tribe, as well as detention facilities at the Big Cypress National Reserve, are suing the state by claiming it is pose a serious threat to the sensitive Everglades ecosystem, endangered species, clean water and dark night sky.
US District Judge Kathleen M. Williams said he would issue a temporary restraining order to halt further construction of the South Florida detention facility and issue a decision on August 21 before the order expires.
Florida officials say they will consider opening another facility at Camp Blanding, the Florida State Guard training center in Clay County, once the capacity of the South Florida detention facility is reached. Currently, there are 1,000 people in detention at the South Florida Detention Facility and the capacity to hold 2,000.
Desantis said the federal government has “increased” removal flights from its South Florida facility. While the state operates the facility, the removal of undocumented immigrants is under federal jurisdiction.
But DeSantis also said opening of South Florida detention facilities increased the number of immigrants who have obtained the state’s “voluntary departure” option. The program is a collaboration between the US Customs and Border Patrol, with Florida purchasing commercial immigrant flights as an alternative to detention.
The state has not revealed whether taxpayer dollars are being used to purchase tickets, the number of tickets purchased so far this year, and which countries these flights are heading.
USA Today Network’s State Watchdog Reporter AnaGoñi-Lessan – Florida can visit agonilessan@gannett.com.
