TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – A third immigrant detention center is no longer an idea being floated by state leaders. Governor DeSantis confirmed the opening of a third migrant detention center, dubbed the “Panhandle Pokey.”
“Isn’t it good to have something like a panhandle? It’s happening. It’s underway,” DeSantis said.
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It would join other facilities such as Alligator Alcatraz near the Everglades and the so-called deportation center at Baker Correctional Facility near Jacksonville.
“People who entered the country illegally are being detained and processed and are now being removed from Florida very quickly,” DeSantis said.
The governor said one of his main goals is to speed up deportations.
Records show that the Alligator Alcatraz cost more than $200 million in initial costs to open and operate. Opening a facility at Baker Correctional Facility was much less expensive because the building already existed. The governor previously said the amount was $6 million.
Last week, FEMA confirmed that Florida had been awarded $608 million from its Shelter and Services Program. This is intended to help states cover the cost of setting up temporary immigration facilities.
State Sen. Lori Berman, the Democratic minority leader, wants more legal oversight of immigration enforcement and how tax dollars are spent.
“I don’t think our state should be involved in these centers, but if we’re going to operate them, we should be reimbursed by the federal government,” Berman said. “If this is what we need, it should go through the Legislature, which has the power of the purse.”
For now, it’s unclear whether Florida will receive additional funding or how long these facilities will remain open.
“Floridians pay federal taxes, so if we have the ability to pull in and supplement federal aid, obviously we’re going to do what’s there,” DeSantis said.
Florida Republicans have long argued that immigration was the driving force behind President Trump’s reelection. But Victor DiMaio, who heads the Hillsborough County Hispanic Democratic Caucus, believes his party could benefit from Republican-led national and state immigration crackdowns.
“The midterm elections are coming up. They’re almost there. I think everything will be reflected in the midterm elections,” Di Maio said.
Exactly where the third facility will be located, how much it will cost, and what capacity it will have is unclear.
