DESANTIS OPENS SECOND 'DEPORTATION DEPOT' — State Converts Closed Prison Into 1,300‑Bed Immigrant Detention Center

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced a second state-run immigration detention facility nicknamed the 'Deportation Depot' at a temporarily closed state prison (Baker Correctional Institution). The site will hold roughly 1,310 beds (temporary capacity up to 2,000), will be outfitted at about $6 million with expected federal reimbursement, and will activate additional Florida National Guard support. Immigrant-rights groups condemned the expansion and legal/humanitarian scrutiny is likely as the state accelerates conversion of closed prisons into detention centers.