The initial group of migrants has arrived at a newly established detention center situated deep within the Florida Everglades, commonly referred to as “Alligator Alcatraz” by officials, as per a statement from the spokesperson for Republican state Attorney General James Uthmeier to The Associated Press. “People are present,” Press Secretary Jae Williams confirmed, although specific details regarding the number of detainees or their arrival time were not immediately provided.
In a recent social media post on the X platform, Uthmeier announced, “Next stop: back to where they came from,” taking credit as the mastermind behind the Everglades project. The Florida Division of Emergency Management echoed this sentiment in a post on the same platform, highlighting the center’s swift construction under Governor Ron DeSantis’ leadership in collaboration with DHS and ICE to support President Trump’s immigration law enforcement objectives.
The detention facility, established at a training airport, boasts an initial capacity for approximately 3,000 detainees, as announced by DeSantis. Constructed in just eight days, the site is equipped with over 200 security cameras, 28,000-plus feet of barbed wire, and 400 security personnel. Immigrants detained by Florida law enforcement under the federal 287(g) program will be transferred to this facility, according to a Trump administration official overseeing the program.
Plans are in place to incrementally expand the facility by 500 beds until it reaches an estimated 5,000 beds by early July. Democratic state lawmakers from Florida visited the site to assess conditions and question the allocation of state funds for construction, expressing concerns about detainee welfare and state contracts.
Despite opposition from environmental groups and federal agencies, the government’s stance is that the detention center is a state-led initiative using state funds and lands under emergency authority and federal delegation for immigration functions. The facility has faced criticism from human rights groups and Native American tribes for potential environmental threats to the Everglades, detainee well-being amidst harsh conditions, and its location on sacred tribal land.
Furthermore, the center’s vulnerability to heavy rains was evident during President Trump’s recent visit, causing flooding in the tents. State officials maintain that the complex is designed to withstand adverse weather conditions up to a Category 2 hurricane.
A hurricane, with winds ranging from 96 to 110 mph (154 to 177 kph), caused flooding in certain areas where contractors worked overnight to reinforce the defenses. New signs reading “Alligator Alcatraz” were erected along the main highway leading to the site and at the entrance of the airfield now known as the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport. State officials took control of the county-owned land where the facility is situated using emergency powers granted by the governor’s executive order.
Governor DeSantis and other state officials have stated that placing the facility in the remote and rugged Florida Everglades serves as a deterrent. By naming it after the infamous Alcatraz prison known for its harsh conditions, they aim to send a strong message. This move reflects the Trump administration’s use of intimidation tactics to encourage voluntary departure of undocumented individuals from the country.
Social media and conservative platforms have been used by state and federal officials to promote the facility, sharing images of a compound surrounded by barbed wire and ‘guarded’ by alligators donning ‘ICE’ hats for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The Republican Party of Florida has even capitalized on the detention center by selling merchandise like T-shirts and beer koozies featuring the facility’s name.
_____Anderson reported from St. Petersburg, Florida. Payne reported from Tallahassee, Florida. Gisela Salomon in Miami contributed to this report.
