Former President Donald Trump is expected to attend the grand opening of a new immigration detention facility in the Florida Everglades this Tuesday. Nicknamed “Alligator Alcatraz,” the center has drawn national attention for its scale, location, and political symbolism.
Built on a remote Miami-Dade County airstrip seized under emergency powers by Gov. Ron DeSantis, the facility is designed to house up to 5,000 undocumented migrants. It was constructed in just one week and conceived by Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, a top DeSantis ally.
While the project aligns closely with Trump’s hardline immigration agenda, it has ignited fierce opposition. Environmental groups, led by Friends of the Florida Everglades, filed a lawsuit on Friday, arguing the project endangers critical habitat for the endangered Florida panther and other species. The area is over 96% wetlands and borders the Big Cypress National Preserve.
“This scheme is not only cruel, it threatens an ecosystem taxpayers have spent billions to protect,” said Friends of the Everglades executive director Eve Samples.
Despite protests and legal action, the center has been approved by the Department of Homeland Security, which may reimburse some of its projected $450 million annual cost.
