ICE expands Florida detention capacity with 500 additional beds at Glades County Jail | FOX 35 Orlando
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ICE expands Florida detention capacity with 500 additional beds at Glades County Jail

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Published  April 10, 2025 8:14am EDT
Immigration
FOX 35 Orlando

The Brief

    • U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has expanded its detention capacity in Florida with the addition of 500 beds at the Glades County Jail.
    • ICE officials said the addition will enhance the agency’s ability to manage the region’s growing enforcement and removal operations.
    • Gov. Ron DeSantis says Florida now has the "toughest" immigration enforcement laws in America.

MIAMI, Fla. - U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has expanded its detention capacity in Florida with the addition of 500 beds at the Glades County Jail.

ICE officials said the addition will enhance the agency’s ability to manage the region’s growing enforcement and removal operations.

‘Allow greater capacity to address our immigration enforcement mission’

What we know:

On April 2, ICE officials announced the reinstatement of an intergovernmental service agreement with the Glades County Board of County Commissioners to house ICE detainees at the Glades County Jail in Moore Haven, Florida. The agency later shared the news on its social media pages. 

The agreement reestablishes the federal immigration processing and​ detention center and creates up to 500 additional beds.

RELATED: DeSantis: Florida now has 'toughest' immigration enforcement laws in the United States

ICE officials said the facility will expand the agency's detention capacity in Florida, enhancing its ability to manage the region’s growing enforcement and removal operations.

What they're saying:

"The Glades County Jail center will serve as a staging area and allow greater capacity to address our immigration enforcement mission," said acting Miami ICE Field Office Director Juan Agudelo. "The central location streamlines logistics and helps facilitate the timely processing of illegal aliens in our custody that are subject to arrest, detention and removal from our country."

The backstory:

Gov. Ron DeSantis says Florida now has the "toughest" immigration enforcement laws in America.

Earlier this year, the Florida State Legislature passed two bills focused on immigration enforcement in Florida, part of a special session and after weeks of disagreement with DeSantis. 

(Credit: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement)

Among the laws: Allocates nearly $300M to hire, train and enforce immigration; pulls in-state tuition from "Dreamers;" created the State Board of Immigration Enfrocement; and bars the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles from issuing driver's licenses or ID cards to undocumented people.

"Florida leads the way, yet again, as we have done on issue after issue over these many years," DeSantis said. "We are here again doing everything we can to end the illegal immigration crisis in this country once and for all. Here in Florida, we all have a responsibility to be strong partners with the Trump administration as it seeks to restore the rule of law, remove illegal aliens from our communities and protect public safety."

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The Source: This story was written based on information gathered from previous reporting, as well as information shared by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in a press release on April 2, 2025. 

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