Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said the state will convert the mothballed Baker Correctional Institution in Sanderson into a second state-run immigration detention and processing center, which he has dubbed “Deportation Depot.” The facility is designed to hold more than 1,300 migrants awaiting deportation and could be expanded to roughly 2,000 beds. State officials estimate the build-out will cost about $6 million and take two to three weeks, leveraging existing prison infrastructure to speed deployment and keep expenses down. DeSantis positioned the center as a complement to “Alligator Alcatraz,” a 3,000-bed complex the state opened in the Everglades in July. He said additional space is needed to meet the Trump administration’s request for more capacity to detain and remove undocumented immigrants. Flights carrying detainees are expected to depart from nearby Lake City Gateway Airport, and the governor added that the federal government is expected to reimburse Florida for most operating costs. Staffing for the new site will be drawn from the Florida National Guard and private contractors. The announcement comes as a federal judge considers lawsuits challenging the Everglades facility over environmental and detainee-rights issues, raising the possibility that Baker County could become the state’s primary holding center if the earlier site is curtailed. DeSantis said the goal remains rapid processing and repatriation rather than long-term detention.