President Donald Trump is set to visit Florida’s upcoming controversial immigration detention facility on Tuesday. Nicknamed ‘Alligator Alcatraz’, the facility is located at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport, and has its own runway.
The airport has been modified “within a matter of days” to make it functional, says Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. This site was earlier called ‘Everglades Jetport’ and was supposed to become the world’s largest airport. However, its construction came to a halt in the 1970s over environmental concerns.
The center is now a part of Trump’s immigration crackdown as he is on a mission to punish and remove undocumented immigrants.
DO YOU SUPPORT
.@GovRonDeSantis ‘s🐊 ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ?
Alligator Alcatraz” is the nickname for a new immigration detention center being constructed in the Florida Everglades, initiated by Governor Ron DeSantis. The facility aims to hold up to 3,000 undocumented immigrants… pic.twitter.com/QKwxip1UfP
— 🦅 Eagle Wings 🦅 (@CRRJA5) June 29, 2025
In a press conference on Monday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt highlighted the detention center’s harsh and dangerous surroundings which makes it nearly impossible to escape from it. She said, “It is isolated, and surrounded by dangerous wildlife in unforgiving terrain.”
“The facility is in the heart of the Everglades and will be informally known as ‘Alligator Alcatraz.’ There’s only one road leading in, the only way out is a one-way flight. It is isolated and surrounded by dangerous wildlife in unforgiving terrain.” she added.
If anyone ever dares to escape, they would face alligators and pythons in the wetlands around the site, which is why the prison is named ‘Alligator Alcatraz’.
Leavitt revealed that the facility will have up to 5,000 beds to “house, process, and deport criminal illegal aliens.” She claimed that it’s an “efficient” and “low cost way” to carry out mass deportation.
The project aligns with the Trump administration’s target of a 3,000-person daily arrest quota. Florida Governor said on Monday, “They ain’t going anywhere once they’re there, unless you want them to go somewhere. Because good luck getting to civilization. So the security is amazing — natural and otherwise.”
Many people have argued why the administration wants to house the immigrants if their goal is to remove them from American soil. Addressing such concerns, DeSantis told Fox News, “The reason why we’re doing this is ’cause we want to increase deportations, and what ICE has told us is that even though all my sheriffs and police are working constructively to apprehend illegals, they just need more space because when you bring illegals in, they have to process them.”
If the reports are to be believed, the operational cost of ‘Alligator Alcatraz‘ is projected at $450 million annually. It will be funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Shelter and Services Program, previously utilized during the Biden administration for asylum-seekers.
🚨 JUST IN: Alligator Alcatraz will be funded with the money Biden set aside to put illegals in five star hotels, per @TriciaOhio
Illegals are going from the lush Roosevelt Hotel in New York City to a detention center surrounded by gators 🤣
THAT’S what we voted for 🔥 pic.twitter.com/M2UgDCcz5M
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) June 27, 2025
The detention center has been facing backlash for more than one reason. Primarily, the construction on the site, which was once halted due to environmental reasons, has prompted legal challenges from environmental groups demanding a necessary federal environmental review before it commences operations.
Secondly, people have raised concern about the ethical treatment of the detainees, as hinted by the harsh language used by Trump’s administration. Someone wrote on X, “Uthmeier’s “Alligator Alcatraz” proposal is a cruel, inhumane, and legally dubious scheme that weaponizes nature against vulnerable immigrants, reflecting a disturbing disregard for human rights and judicial oversight.”
Uthmeier’s “Alligator Alcatraz” proposal is a cruel, inhumane, and legally dubious scheme that weaponizes nature against vulnerable immigrants, reflecting a disturbing disregard for human rights and judicial oversight.
— Richard Angwin (@RichardAngwin) June 20, 2025
Alligator Alcatraz? Seriously? Using Florida’s Everglades—home to thousands of alligators—as a human detention center is not just cruel, it’s downright sadistic and inhumane. This is the Trump administration doubling down on cruelty, turning immigration enforcement into a…
— Charles Perreira (@CharlesPerreir7) June 19, 2025
Another furious X user tweeted, “Alligator Alcatraz? Seriously? Using Florida’s Everglades—home to thousands of alligators—as a human detention center is not just cruel, it’s downright sadistic and inhumane. This is the Trump administration doubling down on cruelty, turning immigration enforcement into a grotesque spectacle. Using predators and nature as a barrier to trap desperate people? It’s beyond disgusting — it’s a monstrous violation of basic human decency. This isn’t about security; it’s about terrorizing vulnerable communities for political gain. Shame on anyone supporting this nightmare.”
