Alligator Alcatraz

Alligator Alcatraz
Donald Trump touring Alligator Alcatraz on July 1, 2025
Alligator Alcatraz is located in the United States
Alligator Alcatraz
Location in the United States
Alligator Alcatraz is located in Florida
Alligator Alcatraz
Location in Florida
LocationDade-Collier Training and Transition Airport, Big Cypress National Preserve, Ochopee, Florida, U.S.
Coordinates25°51′42″N 080°53′49″W / 25.86167°N 80.89694°W / 25.86167; -80.89694
StatusOperational
Security classImmigration detention center
CapacityUp to 5,000
(projected)[1]
OpenedJuly 3, 2025
Managed byFlorida Division of Emergency Management in partnership with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security
This article is part of
a series about
Ron DeSantis
Personal
U.S. House of Representatives
46th Governor of Florida
Presidential campaigns

Alligator Alcatraz[2] is an immigration detention facility erected at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport inside Big Cypress National Preserve in Ochopee, Florida, United States.[2] Announced in June 2025 by the Attorney General, James Uthmeier, and championed by the governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, it is located in the Everglades west of Miami, surrounded by "alligator- and python-infested waters".[3]

The name alludes to both the local reptile population and the former maximum-security Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary in San Francisco Bay, California.

Background

In August 2015, during his 2016 presidential campaign, Donald Trump proposed mass deportation as a part of his immigration policy.[4] Trump and supporters such as Stephen Miller have stated that illegal immigrants would be taken to "large-scale staging grounds near the border, most likely in Texas", to be held in internment camps prior to deportation.[5][6]

History

DeSantis invoked a standing 2023 immigration "state of emergency" to seize the county-owned airfield and fast-track construction without the usual procurement or environmental reviews.[7] He mobilized a team of private companies on June 21, 2025, to build the facility to house 5,000 detained immigrants and deployed National Guard to secure the site.[8][9]

On June 19, 2025, Florida Attorney General Uthmeier publicly announced the detention center in a video posted to Twitter, in which he called it "Alligator Alcatraz." The name was subsequently adopted as the official title of the facility.[10]

Uthmeier has described the 39-square-mile (100 km2) parcel as "the best natural perimeter money can't buy," arguing that the surrounding Everglades wildlife offers a deterrent to escapees.[3] State officials have also argued that the facility's location and its susceptibility to hurricanes will encourage undocumented immigrants to self-deport.[11] West of Miami, it is accessed by U.S. Route 41 (also known as the Tamiami Trail).

President Donald Trump and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem joined DeSantis and other Florida state leaders on Tuesday July 1, 2025, for the opening of the immigrant detention facility. Trump praised the new compound, saying, "It might be as good as the real Alcatraz."[12]

The first group of immigrant detainees arrived on July 3, 2025, beginning the facility's operations.[13] Some detainees have reported harsh conditions at the facility, citing limited access to water, insufficient food, and restrictions on the practice of their religion.[14] Detainees have also described unsanitary conditions, including wastewater overflows and insect infestations, as well as inadequate access to medical care.[15]

Reaction

DeSantis argued the facility will help Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and local jails to cope with the federal government's deportation policy.[3] The facility's announcement led to a boost in campaign contributions for state Republicans, which led the Republican Party of Florida to begin marketing "Alligator Alcatraz" merchandise.[11]

On June 27, 2025, a coalition led by Friends of the Everglades, the Center for Biological Diversity, and the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians filed suit in a federal court seeking an injunction until a full environmental review and public-comment period are completed.[16] Plaintiffs argue the project threatens endangered species habitat and violates both the National Environmental Policy Act and tribal cultural-resource protections. State and federal officials have dismissed the filing as "routine delay tactics."[17]

Talbert Cypress, chairman of the Miccosukee Business Council, noted that no environmental impact research had been done and that some native villages were within 900 feet (270 m) of the camp's entrance.[18] The Seminole tribe was likewise in opposition citing sacred lands.[19][20]

Democratic Party legislators question the necessity of emergency powers, calling the project an overreach and environmental risk.[8] Some critics have compared the facility to Nazi concentration camps, with some referring to it as "Alligator Auschwitz".[21][22]

On July 16, 2025, the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Florida, and Americans for Immigrant Justice filed a class action suit claiming the Trump administration violates the First Amendment and Fifth Amendment rights of people being detained, as well as the First Amendment rights of legal service organizations and law firms with clients held at the facility.[23]

Public opinion

Polling on July 4, 2025 by YouGov found that 48% of Americans opposed the detention center, with 33% supporting it and 18% unsure. 53% of independents polled opposed the facility.[24] In their poll of July 20, 2025, only 28% of women approved of the pre-deportation prison, with 55% disapproving, while less than half of men (42%) favored it.[25]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Protesters line highway in Florida Everglades to oppose 'Alligator Alcatraz'". Associated Press. June 28, 2025. Retrieved June 29, 2025.
  2. ^ a b "Alligator Alcatraz is no nickname. It's detention camp's official name". Tampa Bay Times. July 1, 2025. Retrieved July 1, 2025.
  3. ^ a b c "Florida AG proposes 'Alligator Alcatraz' migrant detention center in Everglades". ABC News/ABC-7 NY. June 29, 2025. Retrieved June 29, 2025.
  4. ^ Gass, Nick (August 17, 2015). "Trump's immigration plan: Mass deportation". Politico. Archived from the original on February 11, 2017.
  5. ^ Brownstein, Ronald (February 8, 2024). "Trump's 'Knock on the Door'". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on February 10, 2024. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  6. ^ Graziosi, Graig (September 8, 2024). "Trump says his plan to expel millions of immigrants will be a 'bloody story'". The Independent. Archived from the original on September 15, 2024. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
  7. ^ Payne, Kate (July 17, 2025). "Emails show DeSantis administration blindsided county officials with plans for 'Alligator Alcatraz'". Yahoo News.
  8. ^ a b Ceballos, Ana; Ellenbogen, Romy; Harris, Alex (June 28, 2025). "DeSantis used his emergency powers to get 'Alligator Alcatraz' built". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on June 29, 2025. Retrieved June 29, 2025.
  9. ^ Abarca, Francesca (July 1, 2025). "Trump at 'Alligator Alcatraz': Facts on Florida Everglades immigration detention center". The Palm Beach Post. Gannett Co., Inc.
  10. ^ Bridges, C.A. (July 8, 2025). "Is Alligator Alcatraz the official name of the Florida immigrant detention center?". USA Today. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
  11. ^ a b "'Alligator Alcatraz' immigrant detention facility opens, with Trump in attendance". NBC News. July 1, 2025. Archived from the original on July 1, 2025. Retrieved July 1, 2025.
  12. ^ Dixon, Matt; Gutierrez, Gabe (July 1, 2025). "'Alligator Alcatraz' immigrant detention facility opens, with Trump in attendance". NBC News. Archived from the original on July 1, 2025. Retrieved July 1, 2025.
  13. ^ Anderson, Curt; Payne, Kate (July 3, 2025). "First immigration detainees arrive at Florida center in the Everglades". AP News.
  14. ^ McAllister, Anna (July 8, 2025). "Alligator Alcatraz detainees allege inhumane conditions at immigration detention center". CBS News. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
  15. ^ Salomon, Gisela; Payne, Kate (July 11, 2025). "Detained immigrants at 'Alligator Alcatraz' say there are worms in food and wastewater on the floor". AP News. Retrieved July 20, 2025.
  16. ^ "Environmental groups sue to block migrant detention center rising in Florida Everglades". Associated Press. June 27, 2025. Retrieved June 29, 2025.
  17. ^ "Environmental groups try blocking Trump's 'Alligator Alcatraz' with last-minute lawsuit". Fox News. June 28, 2025. Retrieved June 29, 2025.
  18. ^ "Florida tribe fights new 'Alligator Alcatraz' migrant facility near Everglades homes". ABC News.
  19. ^ Goñi-Lessan, Ana. "Seminole Tribe of Florida joins opposition to 'Alligator Alcatraz' in Everglades". St. Augustine Record.
  20. ^ "Environmental and Indigenous Groups Mobilize to Stop 'Alligator Alcatraz'". Common Dreams.
  21. ^ Walsh, Joan (June 30, 2025). "The Abominable Sadism of "Alligator Auschwitz"". ISSN 0027-8378. Archived from the original on July 2, 2025. Retrieved July 2, 2025.
  22. ^ Grant, Melissa. "The Grand Opening of an American Concentration Camp". The New Republic. Retrieved July 2, 2025.
  23. ^ Groups Sue Trump Administration Over Lack of Access to Counsel for People Held at Florida’s Notorious Everglades Immigration Detention Center. https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/groups-sue-trump-administration-over-lack-of-access-to-counsel-for-people-held-at-floridas-notorious-everglades-immigration-detention-center
  24. ^ "Almost half of Americans disapprove of Florida's 'Alligator Alcatraz', new poll shows". The Independent. July 4, 2025. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
  25. ^ Gancarski, A. G. (July 15, 2025). "Poll: 'Alligator Alcatraz' scores with Republicans, riles independents and Dems". Florida Politics. Retrieved July 20, 2025.
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