During his administration, former President Donald Trump toured one such facility in the Florida Everglades, known as “Alligator Alcatraz.” He called attention to the facility’s inhumane conditions and its difficult geographical location. Located 50 miles west of Miami, the facility has sparked a firestorm of controversy. Critics note that it sits on land infested with mosquitoes, once a mostly decommissioned airstrip long ago claimed by invasive Burmese pythons and alligators in the surrounding swampland.
Their newly constructed detention center, painted a cheerful shade of green, can house up to 5,000 detainees. And the Florida emergency management agency has deployed soft-sided tents. These tents are outfitted with bunk beds and portable air conditioning units for the comfort of their occupants. Initially intended for hurricane evacuees, the camp has transformed into a facility for migrants amid ongoing discussions about immigration policies.
During his visit, Trump expressed a certain approval of the camp’s conditions, stating, “It might be as good as the real Alcatraz. A little controversial, but I couldn’t care less.” He made light of the alligator presence, saying, “They have a lot of bodyguards and a lot of cops in the form of alligators, you don’t have to pay them so much.” His remarks have been met with laughter and condemnation.
Ron DeSantis, the Governor of Florida, had lauded the use of the tented camp. He described it as a blueprint for other states looking to further Trump’s mass deportation agenda. “This is a model, but we need other states to step up,” he remarked during Trump’s visit. DeSantis emphasized that the facility’s design included essential amenities, stating, “You’ll see all the beds, the medical, the galley, everything is on the concrete.”
The project has led to a backlash from establishment political figures, including former Governor McAuliffe, as well as environmental activists. Florida Congressman Maxwell Frost denounced the encampment as “a cruel spectacle.” He referred to it as “physical and psychological torture” for the detainees. His feelings were later shared by Thomas Kennedy, a spokesperson for the Florida Immigrant Coalition, who decried the facility’s intended use. “They pick the most controversial site possible, right in the Everglades,” Kennedy stated. Their goal is to leverage the full force of the US government to criminalize, kidnap, abuse, starve, and terrorize every last immigrant possible.
Environmentalists have similarly protested on the siting of the facility. Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity filed a lawsuit in federal court seeking to halt the project, citing potential harm to the local ecosystem. The Miccosukee and Seminole tribes have voiced fierce opposition. They certainly do not want their ancestral lands used to host such a facility.
The juxtaposition of Trump’s visit with the facility’s contentious nature highlights an ongoing national debate about immigration policy and treatment of migrants. Critics say the jarring conditions of “Alligator Alcatraz” are representative of much bigger problems in the U.S. immigration system.