Only eight days after construction began, and 12 days after Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier released a video on X announcing plans for an immigration detention center in the Everglades, "Alligator Alcatraz" will officially open this week. The site, which was visited by President Donald Trump and Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday, puts Florida at the forefront of the federal government's mass deportation campaign.
The state-run immigration detention facility is planned to eventually hold up to 5,000 detainees and will be capable of processing and deporting migrants to speed up deportations amid the Trump administration's immigration crackdown. The 30-square-mile parcel of land was chosen in part for its unused airstrip—and for its alligator- and python-laden surroundings serving as cheap security and deterrence. "They ain't going anywhere once they are there…because good luck getting to civilization," DeSantis said during a news conference on Monday. "The security is amazing. Natural and otherwise."
During the tour of the facility, DeSantis added that Florida should not be the only state but should serve as a model. "We need other states to step up," he said.
