Gov. Ron DeSantis said Camp Blanding Joint Training Center in northeastern Florida is being considered for an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility, News4Jax reported.
The Florida Republican told reporters Wednesday the Florida Division of Emergency Management is finalizing plans to create more detention facilities throughout the state.
"We have some capacity there," DeSantis said, of Camp Blanding.
Camp Blanding is home to the headquarters of the Florida National Guard, providing ranges, education facilities, and other services, according to News4Jax.
Florida is also building a migrant detention center in the Everglades that state Attorney General James Uthmeier has nicknamed "Alligator Alcatraz," the Orlando Sentinel reports.
A 39-square-mile migrant detention center could be up and running by July, according to Tricia McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security.
Uthmeier last week said immigrants in the U.S. illegally should be sent deep into the Everglades, or what he calls "Alligator Alcatraz."
The "virtually abandoned airport facility right in the middle of the Everglades" would have the capacity to "house as many as 1,000 criminal aliens," Uthmeier said in a video sharing his offer with the White House.
"Florida's been leading on immigration enforcement, supporting the Trump administration and ICE's efforts to detain and deport criminal aliens. The government tasked state leaders to identify places for new temporary detention facilities. I think this is the best one. As I call it - Alligator Alcatraz."
DeSantis told reporters Camp Blanding would be similar to Alligator Alcatraz.
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.