CLAY COUNTY, Fla. – Construction is expected to begin soon on a new ICE detention center in Clay County.
Kevin Guthrie, Executive Director for the Florida Division of Emergency Management, said last week construction of the site at Camp Blanding near the Clay County-Bradford line would start after Independence Day. However, Gov. Ron DeSantis said on Monday the state was still in the process of selecting vendors for the construction of the detention facility.
“I mean, all these projects are competitively bid, so they gotta score the projects as they come in, or the vendors. So, eventually, I think vendors will be selected, and then at that point they would be able to do,” DeSantis said.
The ICE facility is expected to hold about 2,000 people awaiting immigration hearings or deportation, Gov. Ron DeSantis said.
Camp Blanding currently serves as a Florida National Guard training base tucked in the woods near Starke.
Last week, the controversial “Alligator Alcatraz” detention center officially opened in the Everglades, but for Camp Blanding to join it as a detention facility, some work needs to be done.
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During Monday’s news conference, DeSantis talked about how quickly “Alligator Alcatraz” was up and running and how the state is able to help with deportation efforts.
“Now we’re the only state in the country that requires our state and local law enforcement to participate with immigration enforcement, and that’s part of the reason why, in any given day, the number of arrests of illegal aliens throughout the country, 15 to 20% are just Florida alone. So we’re punching way above our weight class on that. And so we, we said, ‘Okay, we’ll help,’” DeSantis said. “If it’s temporary, then, you know, I think everybody in the community will go along with that.”
According to the state’s Immigration Enforcement Operations Plan, four areas require improvement before Camp Blanding can be used as a detention center. These areas are: food service support, safety, specific building facilities, and contractual requirements.
Here’s a breakdown of each area of improvement, except for safety, as that section is redacted in the document.
- Food service support: The facility needs to be able to accommodate four meals a day, two of which must be served hot, for 1,000 individuals and support staff. In addition, for a workable facility that meets federal standards, each block needs to have a kitchen with a dining area. A schedule would be created on when each block is being fed, according to the document outlining the plan.
- Specific building facilities:
- Medical facility: The detention site would need a full medical facility to support up to 1,000 people with periodic health checks and food inspections. This area must also have a pharmacy. According to the plan, existing structures may be able to be used, but they need medical equipment and personnel to be deemed functional.
- Barber operations: Depending on how the site is separated for each of the required facilities and areas (such as separating women and men), a building needs to be in place to provide barber operations.
- Behavioral health facility: According to the plan, Camp Blanding’s current facilities do not have showers and bathrooms to support detainees with disabilities. Therefore, there needs to be construction or a provided facility that adheres to detainees with disabilities.
- Storage of personal property: A facility that can house and secure appropriate safes/storage for transfer of funds, valuables, and personal property may be provided, depending on how the footprint of buildings/facilities are split up. The plan says that if a building can be provided, personnel and equipment will be requested to be fully operational.
- Contractual requirements:
- Laundry: The site already has a facility that can be used for laundry. However, a linen contract would need to be placed for items. According to the plan, detainees are required one pillow, one blanket, one towel, two sheets and one pillowcase.
- Contraband detection: The plan states K-9s may be used for contraband detection, but not in the presence of detainees. The site would need a contract for support with local law enforcement for K-9 units.
- Garbage collection: A contract for garbage and refuse to include medical/biohazard waste will be needed to be fully operational.
The state has not disclosed how much the improvements at Camp Blanding will cost, but the the “Alligator Alcatraz” detention center, which will hold around 3,000 detainees, is expected to cost about $450 million a year.
The Everglades detention facility was built in just eight days, spanning more than 10 miles of wetlands. It features more than 200 security cameras, more than 28,000 feet of barbed wire, and 400 security personnel.
Because the National Guard falls under executive control, the state may be able to move forward without legislative approval, unless new funding is required.
MORE | Local attorney weighs in on potential use of Camp Blanding as immigration detention facility
Florida is using state tax dollars to cover the upfront costs of the Everglades site, but state officials say at least some of that will be covered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency — which is best known for responding to hurricanes and other natural disasters.
But so far, there’s no guarantee that FEMA will reimburse the costs of additional sites—like the one being built at Camp Blanding.
It is also unclear how long it will take for Camp Blanding’s detention facility to open.
Guthrie said last week that his agency was closing on vendor approvals for the Camp Blanding immigration detention center.