Plans for a new Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center in Orlando are drawing fire from Florida Democrats, even though the agency has not officially confirmed the project. Reports surfaced that ICE officials recently visited a warehouse in East Orlando, possibly to repurpose it as part of President Trump’s nationwide immigration enforcement strategy.
The Trump administration intends to streamline deportations by converting large warehouses into high-capacity detention centers, reducing the need to transport detainees to scattered facilities around the country. This plan is a key part of Trump’s broader initiative to enforce immigration laws more aggressively in his second term.
Local Democrats are voicing sharp opposition. State Rep. Anna V. Eskamani, a Democrat from Orange County, condemned the move, linking it to what she described as “vigilante-style policing.” She cited alleged incidents of aggressive street actions and even claims that U.S. citizens have been wrongly detained or harmed during enforcement operations.
Despite the pushback, Florida continues to support federal immigration efforts under Governor Ron DeSantis. The state has expanded cooperation with ICE, particularly through the “Operation Tidal Wave” initiative, launched in 2025. The program has resulted in over 10,000 arrests, with widespread participation from sheriff’s departments across the state, including Orange County.
Florida’s State Board of Immigration Enforcement Director, Anthony Coker, defended the program and any potential expansion of detention facilities. “We are a country of laws, and Florida is and always will be a law-and-order state,” he said. “We will never apologize for doing anything in our power to make sure Floridians are safe.”
The Miami ICE field office, which oversees enforcement across Florida, reported 22,000 arrests in the past three years. The agency currently operates 25 such offices nationwide. While the Orlando facility remains unconfirmed, the site visit signals a continued push by the Trump administration to accelerate immigration enforcement.
Florida has already hosted a high-profile detention facility—nicknamed “Alligator Alcatraz”—in the Everglades, which was ordered to shut down last August. The site remains open as litigation continues.
If completed, the Orlando center would represent another major piece of Trump’s aggressive border and deportation strategy, a cornerstone of his administration’s second-term agenda.
