Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has been leading the charge on immigration enforcement alongside President Donald Trump.
Radical leftist organizations have been working overtime to sabotage his efforts.
But Ron DeSantis just made one announcement that left leftist lawyers completely panicked.
DeSantis drops bombshell on “Deportation Depot”
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis stepped up to the podium at Baker Correctional Institution on Thursday morning with news that sent shockwaves through the radical left establishment.
The Governor announced Florida’s second major immigration detention facility – dubbed the “Deportation Depot” – will be operational within weeks.
And leftist activists are already scrambling to figure out how to stop it.
DeSantis chose Baker Correctional Institution in Sanderson, about 45 miles west of Jacksonville, over the previously proposed Camp Blanding site because it offers what he called “ready-made infrastructure.”¹
The strategic move shows DeSantis isn’t just playing defense – he’s going on offense against the open borders crowd.
“There is a demand for this,” DeSantis declared. “I’m confident it will be filled.”²
The facility will house more than 1,300 detainees with the potential to expand to 2,000 – nearly doubling Florida’s immigration detention capacity alongside the existing “Alligator Alcatraz” facility in the Everglades.
https://twitter.com/GovRonDeSantis/status/1955981567320580574
But here’s what really has the radical left establishment in full panic mode.
DeSantis revealed that setting up the Baker facility will cost just $6 million compared to the hundreds of millions poured into the Everglades site.
Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie announced the state has secured a whopping $605 million federal grant to reimburse costs for both facilities.³
The Governor made it crystal clear this isn’t about warehousing people indefinitely.
“We want to process, stage and then return illegal aliens to their home country,” DeSantis explained. “That is the name of the game.”⁴
A coordinated attack
The announcement comes as professional agitators are waging an all-out legal war against Florida’s immigration enforcement efforts.
Environmental groups and the Miccosukee Tribe have filed lawsuits claiming “Alligator Alcatraz” threatens sensitive wetlands and violates federal environmental law.
A federal judge issued a temporary restraining order halting construction at the Everglades facility – though it can continue operating and holding detainees.
https://twitter.com/GovRonDeSantis/status/1953560188461654357
But that’s not all the radical left has up their sleeves.
Democrat politicians are simultaneously filing their own lawsuit demanding “unannounced inspections” at state detention centers after being denied entry to the Everglades facility in July.
They’re claiming transparency rights under state law and a 2024 emergency order.
DeSantis wasn’t having any of their manufactured outrage.
He called their lawsuit “frivolous” and accused Democrats of “posturing politically.”⁵
The Governor knows exactly what this coordinated legal assault is really about – stopping Trump’s mass deportation agenda before it can gain full momentum.
State Immigration Enforcement Council Director Larry Keefe didn’t mince words about what Florida is up against.
He slammed the “weaponized judiciary with the leftist lawyers” and accused the media of “distorting facts” through “peripheral flank attacks” designed to obstruct the state’s immigration detention efforts.⁶
The real reason leftists are terrified
The timing of this second facility reveals why radical leftist organizations are in full panic mode.
DeSantis announced that at least 600 detainees have already been deported from “Alligator Alcatraz” since it opened July 1st.
That’s 600 illegal aliens who would otherwise be roaming American communities if not for Florida’s decisive action.
Even more concerning for the open borders crowd – DeSantis revealed that opening the South Florida facility has caused a massive increase in immigrants choosing Florida’s “Voluntary Departure” option.
The program allows the state to buy commercial flights for migrants as an alternative to detention through a collaboration with U.S. Customs and Border Patrol.
Here’s what has leftist activists losing sleep at night.
The Baker facility’s location near Lake City Gateway Airport – just 15 minutes away – makes deportation flights incredibly efficient.
Professional agitators understand that successful deportation operations in Florida could become the model for other states across the country.
That’s their worst nightmare – and exactly why they’re throwing everything they have at stopping DeSantis.
The Governor has made Florida the leading state in fulfilling President Trump’s mass deportation agenda.
Immigration attorneys representing detainees at “Alligator Alcatraz” are already crying about conditions, claiming in court filings that some detainees show COVID symptoms and that rainwater floods tents.
But DeSantis dismissed their complaints, noting the facilities meet “higher standards than most prisons.”⁷
The radical left establishment knows their time is running out.
With Trump back in the White House and governors like DeSantis leading the charge on immigration enforcement, the days of catch-and-release policies are numbered.
That’s exactly why leftist lawyers are working around the clock to find any legal avenue to shut down Florida’s deportation operations.
But DeSantis isn’t backing down – and that has the open borders lobby absolutely terrified about what comes next.
¹ Forrest Saunders, “DeSantis picks Baker Correctional for new migrant detention facility,” WCTV, August 14, 2025.
² Kate Payne, “DeSantis announces plans for second immigration detention facility in north Florida,” Associated Press, August 14, 2025.
³ Gabrielle Russon, “Gov. DeSantis says Florida is opening new ‘Deportation Depot’ in Baker County,” Florida Phoenix, August 14, 2025.
⁴ Ibid.
⁵ Forrest Saunders, “DeSantis picks Baker Correctional for new migrant detention facility,” WCTV, August 14, 2025.
⁶ Ana Goñi-Lessan, “Florida to open second immigration detention facility in addition to Alligator Alcatraz,” USA Today Network, August 14, 2025.
⁷ Kate Payne, “DeSantis announces plans for second immigration detention facility in north Florida,” Associated Press, August 14, 2025.
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Author: rgcory
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