DeSantis: Camp Blanding on Hold Until Alligator Alcatraz Fills Up

TOPSHOT-US-POLITICS-IMMIGRATION — TOPSHOT - An aerial view of a migrant detention center, dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz," is seen located at the site of the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport in Ochopee, Florida on July 7, 2025. The $450 million camp has been built on a disused airfield deep in the Florida Everglades and is surrounded by swamps that are home to creatures including alligators and poisonous snakes. The steaming hot, mosquito-infested site is a symbol of the Republican administration's determination to look tough as it pursues its policy of mass deportations of undocumented migrants. (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP) (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images) Photo: CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP / Getty Images

Plans to build Northeast Florida's version of Alligator Alcatraz are on hold.

Governor Ron DeSantis announced yesterday he won't move forward with plans to build an immigrant detention facility at Camp Blanding in Clay County.

He says he wants to wait until Alligator Alcatraz is at capacity.

“I’m willing to do Blanding once Alligator Alcatraz is filled,” DeSantis said, adding that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is “starting to deport people from there too.”

DeSantis says if needed, Camp Blanding can rapidly be turned into a detention facility.

“What I don’t want to do is set up Blanding if, you know, one is 60% full and then the other’s 40%. I’d rather just channel everyone to Alligator since it’s easier,” DeSantis explained. “We definitely think that you can do easily 3,000 to 4,000 at Alligator Alcatraz. We have not yet received that many illegal aliens yet there, but it has grown pretty quickly.”

Despite DeSantis' announcement, protesters are still planning to rally at Camp Blanding on Saturday.

Florida News

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