ORLANDO, Fla. — Officials with the Orange County jail said they are seeing a large increase in the number of inmates who are in the country illegally.
Jail leaders said the number of detainees has risen from around 30 to more than 90 in recent months.
Inmates at the jail are being transferred to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody but are being held longer than usual due to a lack of space at federal facilities like Alligator Alcatraz in the Everglades.
This backlog is creating significant operational challenges for local authorities.
Gov. Ron DeSantis stated that he is awaiting federal approval to open another facility to help alleviate the situation.
“This deportation depot, they have flights going out, they have a bunch of flights, they have flights going out of Alligator Alcatraz. The tempo has picked up. We now at each one of those facilities the federal government has stationed an immigration judge,” he explained, emphasizing the increased logistical capacity for deportations.
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