Florida, with backing from the Department of Homeland Security, has begun building a temporary detention center in the Everglades to house undocumented immigrants as part of President Donald Trump’s mass deportation strategy. Dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz,” (See MBFC Fact Check) the site spans 39 square miles and will hold up to 1,000 detainees, according to Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier.
The nickname echoes Trump’s past controversial ideas for border enforcement. In 2019, several major outlets reported that he seriously suggested building a moat filled with snakes and alligators at the southern border and even asked for cost estimates. He also proposed electrifying fences and shooting migrants in the legs—ideas that were ultimately dismissed by his staff.
Gov. Ron DeSantis is using emergency powers to take control of the site after deeming Miami-Dade County’s $190 million asking price “unreasonable.” FEMA’s Shelter and Services Program will partially fund the facility, which will operate with National Guard support.
Democrats blasted the project, calling it cruel and environmentally disastrous. Rep. Maxwell Frost accused Trump and his allies of using immigrants for “cruelty and spectacle,” while Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried warned the project would “desecrate ecologically critical wetlands.”
Despite court challenges halting aspects of Florida’s immigration law, construction is moving forward. State officials insist the facility will be “self-contained” with no permanent development on protected land.
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