Gov. DeSantis to open new "Deportation Depot”

By Yerimiah Ruiz Evans

Protestor brandishes anti-immigration sign at 50501 protest

TALLAHASSEE, Florida — Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Thursday announced a new temporary Immigrant Detention facility affectionately called the “deportation depot,” just a month after the grand opening of the Everglades detention center, “Alligator Alcatraz.”

Thursday, Governor DeSantis announced that the Deportation Depot would be in the temporarily closed Baker Correctional Institute, just 45 Miles out of Jacksonville. Baker was designed to hold 1,300 Inmates, but can hold up to 2,000 in a temporary capacity. According to Governor DeSantis, this detention center will only be a temporary holding facility, and will hold, process and send individuals back to their home countries. “There is a demand for this,” DeSantis said. “I’m confident that it will be filled.” The Baker Correctional Institute was closed in 2021 after multiple cases of inmate abuse, the deaths of two inmates and staffing shortages following the Covid-19 Pandemic. 

Human Rights activists, like Senior Rajha Davis, co-lead of FAMU’s chapter of Dream Defenders, have become desensitized to migrant detention centers. “I’m not disappointed and I’m not surprised,” said Davis, “my initial reaction to a brand new migrant detention center is that they’re doing exactly what they said they were going to do.”

Opponents of the new detention center see it as a waste of money (about $6 million dollars), and a blatant offense to human rights and civil liberties. “They [suspected un-documented immigrants] usually aren’t provided with adequate medical care, once they go into these detention centers, they are subject to some of the worst treatment, physical, sexual, and emotional abuse that not a single person should ever have to endure,” Davis said.

A Yougov poll, taken shortly after the opening of “Alligator Alcatraz” suggests a split amongst US Adults, showing only 33% in favor of the camp, a 48% opposition, and a staggering 18% who aren't sure. “There is a growing voice that is louder than all the hate and all the evil that fight against these centers and fight for the closure of these centers,” Davis said. “To the people who care about human lives, no matter if they are an immigrant or not, keep fighting, keep shouting, continue to show them that we’re not afraid to stand up to them and that we will not rest until everyone is free and until everyone is treated like a person,” Davis said.

Looking ahead, the 2026 Legislative session here in Florida is set to be tumultuous. “The important thing to remember is that you have to look at the language,” Davis predicts. “A lot of politicians try to trick citizens with the language that they write in these bills, … A lot of what’s about to happen is in Project 2025, and it looks like Florida will be one of the first states to fall in line.”

Migrant detention centers bring up a lot of questions: Who's considered a citizen? What rights do we have when communicating with I.C.E and Law Enforcement? What’s next for the state of Florida? Linked below are resources for any question you might have, as well as more ways to get involved and stay informed. 

Risetallahassee.org 

https://dreamdefenders.org/

https://www.aclu.org/know-your-rights/immigrants-rights

Sources

Payne, K. (2025, August 14). DeSantis announces plans for second immigration detention facility dubbed “Deportation Depot.” AP News. Retrieved August 16, 2025, from https://apnews.com/article/florida-immigration-detention-center-desantis-dce8b6b8f634152a604eb06bfc2fb461

Florida Department of Corrections. (n.d.). Baker Correctional Institution (Major Institution No. 279). Retrieved August 16, 2025, from Florida Department of Corrections website: https://www.fdc.myflorida.com/institutions/list-of-major-institutions/279

Wikipedia contributors. (2025, August 15). Baker Correctional Institution. In Wikipedia. Retrieved August 16, 2025, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baker_Correctional_Institution