Alligator Alcatraz May Threaten Habitat of Endangered Florida Panthers, Expert Says

By the 1970s, Florida’s panther population had dwindled to just 20–30 individuals due to hunting and habitat loss. Today, thanks to sustained conservation efforts, it's estimated that 120 to 230 panthers survive in the wild (Credit: Via Getty Images)

Since opening just over a month ago, the immigration detention facility at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport — widely known as "Alligator Alcatraz" — has come under intense scrutiny from the public, human rights organizations, migrant advocates, and environmental groups.

The controversial facility was constructed inside Big Cypress National Preserve, a 720,000-acre protected area in Florida that is home to dozens of threatened and endangered species. Among them is the Florida panther, which experts warn could lose thousands of acres of critical habitat due to continued construction and operations at the site.