00:00Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced his state will open up a second immigration detention facility, even as the first one faces another lawsuit.
00:09We are authorizing and will be soon opening this new illegal immigration detention processing and deportation facility here in North Florida.
00:23We are calling this the deportation depot.
00:26The so-called deportation depot will open at a state prison 45 miles west of Jacksonville that shut down in 2021.
00:34It'll hold 1,300 immigration detention beds and could increase to 2,000.
00:39Florida state officials expect it to open in two to three weeks.
00:43Unlike Alligator Alcatraz in South Florida, this facility will use an already in-place building, which comes at a cheaper cost to taxpayers.
00:51The expected price tag is $6 million.
00:53We would get reimbursed for the state of Florida, but still we want to be as cost effective as possible.
00:59Chair of the Florida Democratic Party responded, saying, quote,
01:03These inhumane facilities reward massive taxpayer-funded no-bid contracts to politically connected businesses and corporate elite donors.
01:11DeSantis is funneling millions of tax dollars from the working and middle class to fill the pockets of the wealthy at the expense of immigrants who have come to our state seeking a better life for their families, end quote.
01:23Shut this down! Shut this down!
01:26Meanwhile, the facility known as Alligator Alcatraz now faces an additional lawsuit over a reported disease outbreak at the facility.
01:34The suit says a respiratory disease, possibly COVID-19, has spread through the facility.
01:40A judge recently halted construction at Alligator Alcatraz in a separate lawsuit over environmental concerns.
01:46For Straight Arrow News, I'm Lauren Canan.
01:48If you want more on this story, download the Straight Arrow News app or visit san.com.
Be the first to comment