Florida leaders rebuke possible Orlando ICE detention center facility

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. - Is a United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center coming to Central Florida? 

During a Jan. 19 press conference, various Florida leaders and community members spoke against the possibility of an ICE detention center being built in Orlando. Congressman Maxwell Frost, D-Fla. and House Representative Anna Eskamani, D-Orange County/District-42, disapproved of a site in Orange County being used as a detainment center. 

Though Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, the Department of Homeland Security or ICE have not confirmed that they're looking to Orange County to establish a detainment center, Eskamani said a memo leaked in December confirmed it to be true. 

Leaked memo confirms potential Orlando ICE detention center

In mid-December, a leaked memo from ICE said the agency was looking at warehouses across the country. 

"No information actually came from the federal government, came from the state government and when I spoke to the city of Orlando about it, they were completely clueless," Eskamani said. "… They're (ICE) operating in the shadows." 

Frost spoke against a new detention facility, saying it'll only "create more harm, more trauma and more suffering."

"ICE is not making us safe. It is destabilizing our neighborhoods and communities across the country," he said.  

The other side:

Though Congressman Randy Fine, R-Fla. didn't confirm to Edinger that the Orlando site is being looked at as a potential ICE facility site, he said he's supportive of the site if it makes it "easier to round up and house illegals before we ship them home." 

Where is the possible Orlando ICE detention center site? 

The new potential ICE site involved is a privately-owned warehouse in Orlando – 10 miles east of the Orlando International Airport. It's located at the back of a corporate park, officials said. 

Frost confirmed the site's location to FOX 35's Marie Edigner.

To use this site as an ICE detention center, Eskamani said it would require a Conditional Use Permit – which requires special permission from local government to allow use of a property not allowed by standard zoning. The proposal would go before the municipal planning board and then to city council, she said. 

County Commissioner Nicole Wilson addressed "humanitarian issues" by establishing a detention center at the identified site, saying the site isn't set up for waste collection it would require. Wilson also cited logistical issues with the site being located near seven other corporate neighbors and heavy equipment coming and going. She called for the local government to scrutinize this site used as a potential detention center. 

"This wasn't built for human beings to be located in," Wilson said. 

If an ICE detention center is chosen in Orlando, it would be the first in Central Florida. At this time, all Florida ICE detention facilities, field centers or processing centers are located in South Florida. 

Expanding Florida ICE detention centers

While discussing the state's Operation Tidal Wave, in which over 10,000 undocumented immigrants were arrested and turned over to the Department of Homeland Security, Ron DeSantis said he plans to expand ICE detention centers in the state, including in Northwest Florida and Southern Florida. 

DeSantis spoke about planning a "Panhandle-Pokey," which will be located in Northwest Florida, but is waiting for approval from DHS – upon which the state will be reimbursed. 

Furthermore, DeSantis said that Florida is hoping to help DHS with capacity and has a few potential U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center locations in mind.

Florida leaders confirm ICE presence in Central Florida

Where are Florida's ICE detention centers?

In Florida, ICE's website lists five locations used as detention facilities, field centers or processing centers. 

• Baker County. Located at the former Baker Correctional Institution, the Baker County Detention Center, also dubbed the "Deportation Depot" in Sanderson opened in August 2025 and has the capacity to hold over 1,300 detainees. Ninety-three deportation flights have left the facility that's been operating for four months, DeSantis said – deporting over 2,000 individuals.
• Pompano Beach. Operated by The GEO Group, is the Broward Transition Center.
• Miami. Located in Miami is the Federal Detention Center.
• Moore Haven. Located at the Glades County Jail, is the Glades County Detention Center.
• Miami. Located west of Miami, is the Krome North Service Processing Center.

The Everglades Detention Facility, also called "Alligator Alcatraz," is located near Ochopee at the abandoned Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport.