Gov. Ron DeSantis has said the location in the rugged and remote Everglades was meant as a deterrent against escape, much like the island prison in California that Republicans named it after. The detention center has an estimated annual cost of $450 million, according to a public database.

The state will open a second immigration detention, processing and deportation facility at Baker Correctional Institution dubbed "Deportation Depot"

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced plans to open a second immigration detention center, dubbed “Deportation Depot,” as a step to expand the state’s capacity to hold and deport undocumented immigrants.