Detainees pepper-sprayed on 2 occasions at Florida 'Deportation Depot' immigration detention center
Source: The Sun Chronicle/AP
Jan 29, 2026 Updated 11 hrs ago
MIAMI (AP) — Detainees have been pepper-sprayed on at least two occasions at a Florida immigration detention center dubbed “ Deportation Depot ” since it opened last September. The Florida Division of Emergency Management confirmed Thursday that the most recent incident at the former Baker Correctional Institution in northeast Florida occurred on Christmas Eve.
“Several detainees refused orders to return to their bunks and began advancing on staff,” officials said in a statement. “One detainee became violent, striking an officer, so chemical agents were released to restore safety to detainees and guards.”
The confrontation came nearly two months after an Oct. 29 incident, when detainees attempted to barricade themselves inside their housing unit while inciting violence and causing significant damage, officials said. Guards eventually used pepper spray to regain control. No injuries were reported, and everyone involved was medically cleared in an abundance of caution, officials said.
The northeast Florida facility is the second immigration detention center opened by the state of Florida, following “ Alligator Alcatraz ” in the Florida Everglades earlier last summer. The state is awaiting approval from federal officials to open a third immigration detention center in the Florida Panhandle and is also looking into a potential fourth detention facility in South Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced earlier this month.
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