DeSantis responds to Alligator Alcatraz ruling, touts 'Deportation Depot'

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) responded Friday to a state judge’s ruling ordering his administration to dismantle operations at Alligator Alcatraz, an immigration detention center in the Everglades.

“We knew this would likely happen, and we will respond accordingly,” the Sunshine State leader said during a press conference. 

DeSantis has been overwhelmingly supportive of President Trump’s immigration agenda alongside mass deportation efforts and said state officials will aid in processing and holding migrants in preparation for their removal.

On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams, an appointee of former President Obama, ruled Florida must halt the expansion of Alligator Alcatraz and the installation of more lighting. 

She also ordered the removal of all “generators, gas, sewage, and other waste and waste receptacles that were installed to support this project” within 60 days. 

In her 82-page ruling, Williams said the project creates “irreparable harm in the form of habitat loss and increased mortality to endangered species in the area.”

Alligator Alcatraz also prevents Miccosukee Tribe members from accessing the land. However, despite judicial pushback citing reason for pause, DeSantis said he would fight the ruling.

“We're not going to be deterred. We're totally in the right on this. But I would also note, because of the success of Alligator Alcatraz, there's demand for more,” the Florida governor told reporters.

“So, I did announce that we are going to be opening another facility right outside of Jacksonville in Baker County, and we've called that the Deportation Depot.”

The second site is expected to hold 2,000 people upon completion. DeSantis announced Baker Correctional Institution, a state prison about 43 miles west of downtown Jacksonville, Fla., would be revamped for federal immigration enforcement last week.

As DeSantis looks to increase immigration operations, he said Alligator Alcatraz will remain a staple for the state.

“We knew the minute this judge got the case, we knew exactly what she was going to do,” DeSantis said Friday. 

“This is not anything that was unexpected, but we'll make sure to get the job done in the end.”