Florida is awaiting approval from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to open a third immigration detention center in the state’s Panhandle, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Monday, while the state also explores a potential fourth facility in South Florida.

DeSantis made the announcement at a news conference outside Florida’s second immigration detention center — dubbed “Deportation Depot” — at the former Baker Correctional Institution in northeast Florida. The state’s first facility, “Alligator Alcatraz,” is located at a remote airstrip in the Florida Everglades.

“So, if they approve, we will open,” DeSantis said. “If they don’t, then we will stand by, and that’s fine. But I think it should be approved since I don’t think they’re where they need to be on detention space.”

DeSantis press secretary Molly Best said the specific Panhandle location would be disclosed once federal officials sign off. “Until this and the proposed additional South Florida location have been approved and finalized, we are unable to provide additional details. Stay tuned!” Best said.

Florida’s role in federal enforcement

Florida has led other states in constructing facilities to support the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement efforts. The Trump administration has described the state’s participation as a model for other state-run holding facilities.

DeSantis said 20,000 people in the country illegally had been arrested in Florida over the past year — 10,000 through a state initiative conducted jointly with federal law enforcement, and an additional 10,000 by local law enforcement. Of those arrested through the state initiative, DeSantis said 63% had a criminal arrest or conviction on their record.

Three federal lawsuits are challenging operations at the Everglades facility.

In one lawsuit, detainees are seeking closure of “Alligator Alcatraz” on the grounds that immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility and that Florida agencies and private contractors lack authority to operate the facility under federal law. A second lawsuit seeks a ruling to ensure detainees have access to confidential communications with their attorneys.

Attorneys for detainees have described conditions at the Everglades facility as deplorable, writing in court documents that rainwater floods tents and that officers go cell-to-cell pressuring detainees to sign voluntary removal orders before permitting them to consult attorneys.

In a third lawsuit, a federal judge in Miami ordered the facility to wind down operations over two months after officials failed to conduct a required environmental impact review. An appellate court panel subsequently put that order on hold, allowing the facility to remain open.