Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced on Thursday that the state will open a second immigration detention facility, even as a federal judge considers whether to shut down the controversial existing facility in the Everglades. The timing of the announcement comes as the original detention center faces mounting legal challenges over environmental concerns and alleged poor conditions for detainees.
The new facility, which DeSantis will house at the Baker Correctional Institution in Sanderson, is expected to hold up to 1,300 undocumented immigrants awaiting deportation. DeSantis announced Thursday that the new facility is to be housed at the Baker Correctional Institution, a state prison about 43 miles west of Jacksonville.
