DeSantis announces plans for second immigration detention facility...

Main Idea: Gov. Ron DeSantis said Florida plans to open a second immigration detention center at a state prison in north Florida as the state waits for a court ruling on its first facility.

Key Points:

• The new site would use Baker Correctional Institution, about 43 miles west of Jacksonville, and could hold 1,300 detainees, with room to grow to 2,000.
• DeSantis said the prison is cheaper and faster to convert than the Everglades site, with an estimated build-out cost of $6 million.
• Florida officials said the facility could be running in two to three weeks, with the Florida Division of Emergency Management leading the work and staffing to be handled by the National Guard and contractors as needed.
• The plan comes as attorneys for detainees at the first center, known as “Alligator Alcatraz,” say conditions are poor and are asking a federal judge to protect detainees’ access to lawyers and courts.