Administrative glitch briefly frees two immigration detainees at Florida’s Deportation Depot
SANDERSON, Fla. - Officials have confirmed that two detainees held at Deportation Depot in Baker County were mistakenly released over the weekend before being located and returned to custody.
Detainees mistakenly released from Sanderson facility
What we know:
Florida Division of Emergency Management officials said an administrative error allowed two detainees to bond out of Deportation Depot over the weekend. Agency spokeswoman Stephanie Hartman confirmed both individuals were quickly tracked down and taken back into custody, noting there is no ongoing threat to the public.
The state agency oversees state-run immigration detention operations, including the facility located at the former Baker Correctional Institute in Sanderson. Deportation Depot currently houses about 1,000 undocumented immigrants before they are handed over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Unanswered details about the mistaken release
What we don't know:
Officials have not released the names of the two detainees or detailed how the administrative mistake occurred. It remains unknown whether either individual has a criminal record.
Hartman stated the matter is under internal review to ensure accountability and prevent similar errors in the future.
Multimillion-dollar contract powers state detention center
By the numbers:
Florida signed a maximum $101 million contract with GEO|CDR BAKER to provide intake, medical personnel, administrative staff and correctional officers at Deportation Depot. State tracking documents show Florida has paid the contractor about $32 million as of Sept. 22.
GEO|CDR BAKER was formed in late August 2025 by executives from CDR Health Care and The GEO Group, the nation's largest private detention operator. The facility, located roughly 40 miles west of Jacksonville, is separate from the ICE-run Baker County Detention Center.
The facility opened in September with capacity for up to 2,000 people following the June closure of Alligator Alcatraz in the Everglades. Meanwhile, state records show Florida has assisted in 27,898 immigration-related arrests as of Oct. 14.
Emergency management agency facing steep financial deficit
The backstory:
FDEM, which operates under Gov. Ron DeSantis' executive office, also oversees Florida's hurricane response efforts. The agency recently responded to Hurricane Isaias, which struck Okaloosa County in the Florida Panhandle as a Category 2 storm with 120 mph winds.
Isaias knocked out power to nearly 450,000 customers across Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa and Bay counties. By Wednesday afternoon, utility crews had restored power to all but 11,376 homes and businesses.
A September agency report projected a potential $1.5 billion deficit in the Emergency Preparedness and Response Fund by the end of the 2026-2027 fiscal year under a worst-case scenario with two natural disasters. Even with $500 million from lawmakers and full federal reimbursement for illegal immigration enforcement, the deficit remains a risk, while FDEM has received only $84.6 million of $608 million in promised federal grants.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from a statement by Florida Division of Emergency Management spokeswoman Stephanie Hartman to the News Service of Florida, business records from the Florida Department of State, and financial records from the Florida Accountability Contract Tracking System.