A new migrant detention center opened yesterday in the Florida Everglades, with President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) in attendance. Nicknamed “Alligator Alcatraz,” the 39-square-mile site located at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport can house up to 5,000 detainees and is surrounded by swampland filled with alligators and pythons, which officials say serves as a natural security barrier.
The facility, composed of tents and trailers, was built within a week and is projected to cost Florida approximately $450M annually. FEMA is expected to reimburse a portion of the cost. Officials say it will help alleviate overcrowding and expedite deportations. But environmental groups and Indigenous leaders argue it threatens the Everglades ecosystem and encroaches on sacred tribal land. The site has prompted protests and lawsuits, with critics condemning what they call inhumane treatment of migrants.
Originally planned in the 1960s, the area was once pitched as the largest airport in the US—five times the size of JFK—before the project was scrapped. Its massive runway remains and will now serve as a departure point for deportation flights.
‘Alligator Alcatraz’ added by Staff on
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That place is a lot bigger than I expected, it is HUGE. What are the Protesters talking about. They should keep it open after the Migrant issue is over and use it for low level Criminals.
It’s not for migrant workers. It’s a holding place for charged illegal aliens pending trials by immigration judges… because when given notices to appear, 80%+ do not.