Overview

• Built under Gov. Ron DeSantis on a remote Everglades airstrip, the camp opened July 1 with a 3,000-bed capacity and currently houses roughly 900 migrants under a state emergency order
• Democrats on the July 12 tour reported seeing 32 detainees packed into wire-fenced cages, nonstop temperatures above 80°F and beds infested with insects and lacking proper hygiene facilities
• Republican visitors and facility operators defended the center as clean, air-conditioned and compliant with standards, noting detainees receive three meals, showers and medical care
• Five Democratic lawmakers sued the DeSantis administration after being denied unannounced inspections, while environmental and tribal groups have filed legal challenges over the site’s wetland impact
• DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said she is in ongoing talks with five Republican governors to develop similar tent detention sites as the Trump administration pushes to boost overall bed capacity