The plans for another complex to hold illegal immigrants apprehended by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)—and awaiting processing and deportation—were drafted and submitted by the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) to the Department of Homeland Security and received Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s approval on June 23.
“Under President [Donald] Trump’s leadership, we are working at turbo speed to deliver cost-effective and innovative ways to deliver on the American people’s mandate for mass deportations of criminal illegal aliens,” Noem said on X.
“We will expand facilities and bed space in just days, thanks to our partnership with Florida.”
She said the facilities would be largely funded by FEMA’s Shelter and Services program, which she noted was used by former President Joe Biden’s administration to house illegal immigrants.
The site chosen was the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport.
The governor’s office says that utilizing it for its immigration enforcement plans “will not incur the removal of vegetation, additional paving, or permanent construction.”
However, Tallahassee’s attempt to buy the property from Miami-Dade County appeared to have failed, as Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava asked $190 million for the 30-square-mile area, which DeSantis’s communications director, Bryan Griffin, called “unreasonable.”
FDEM’s executive director, Kevin Guthrie, sent a letter to Cava on June 24 informing her that the agency would be utilizing the facility under the emergency powers of the governor delegated to him.
That delegation was outlined in Executive Order 23-03, which both declared a state of emergency in Florida regarding illegal immigration and empowered Guthrie as the state coordinating officer.
Guthrie cited that in his emergency order, saying that “Governor DeSantis authorized the State Coordinating Officer to suspend the effect of any statute, rule, or order that would in any way prevent, hinder, or delay any mitigation, response, or recovery action necessary to respond to this emergency.”
He also cited the orders and relevant statutes in his letter to Cava, letting her know that while purchase negotiations continue, his division would begin using the area for immigration purposes.
“While the negotiations to purchase the property are underway, the division will begin immediate utilization of the improved area of the site, as I now deem it necessary to meet the division’s current operational demands in coping with the emergency,” Guthrie said in the letter.
“Time is of the essence. We must act swiftly to ensure readiness and continuity in our statewide operations to assist the federal government with immigration enforcement.”
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