Florida's governor announced Thursday that the new facility is to be built at the Baker Correctional Institution, a state prison about 43 miles west of Jacksonville, and is expected to house 1,300 immigration detention beds.

DeSantis announced plans to convert a shuttered North Florida prison into an immigration detention center, replacing a costlier proposed site.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said the planned facility, which is expected to hold 1,300 beds, will be operational “soon.”