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DeSantis pursuing opening immigration detention facility in Panama City

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis gestures during a news conference about soon-to-be Hurricane Helene on Sept. 25, 2024, at the Tampa Electric Company.
Chris O'Meara
/
AP
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis gestures during a news conference about soon-to-be Hurricane Helene on Sept. 25, 2024, at the Tampa Electric Company.

Governor Ron DeSantis said during a Tuesday press conference he is in talks with law enforcement in Panama City about opening a third immigration detention facility there.

Governor Ron DeSantis said during a Tuesday press conference he is in talks with law enforcement in Panama City about opening a third immigration detention facility there.

"We're actually in the process of figuring out how we can set up a Panhandle Pokey, and we're going to have that in the panhandle. And so the mission continues," he said.

Florida made national headlines for opening "Alligator Alcatraz", a detention center in the middle of the Everglades that cost hundreds of millions of dollars. It was recently barred from accepting new detainees by a judge.

The state has opened a second one, dubbed Deportation Depot, at the Baker Correctional institution outside Jacksonville.

DeSantis during a Tuesday press conference did not give specifics about the potential Panama City facility, or when it would be expected to open.

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Tristan Wood
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