'Alligator Alcatraz': Florida to detain migrants in new Everglades facility

Florida to detain migrants in new Everglades facility dubbed 'Alligator Alcatraz'

DECREASE SUNDAY AND MONDAY. THAT’S A LOOK AT YOUR FORECAST DEVELOPING TONIGHT, ACCORDING TO STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL JAMES ROUTH MEYER, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS GIVEN THE GREEN LIGHT FOR ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ. THAT IS THE NAME OF A PROPOSED DETENTION FACILITY HE WANTS TO ESTABLISH IN THE EVERGLADES TO HOUSE UNDOCUMENTED MIGRANTS. RYAN ARBOGAST REPORTS. ALLIGATOR. ALCATRAZ. WE’RE READY TO GO. READY TO GO WITH SECURITY AND SURVEILLANCE TO HOUSE 5000 ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY. IN COLLIER COUNTY, AS THEY WAIT FOR THEIR FLIGHT HOME, THE ATTORNEY GENERAL SAYS HIS PROPOSED ICE DETENTION FACILITY HAS BEEN APPROVED, AND CONSTRUCTION HAS ALREADY BEGUN. GOVERNOR TAFT STATE LEADERS TO IDENTIFY PLACES FOR NEW TEMPORARY DETENTION FACILITIES. I THINK THIS IS THE BEST ONE. AG JAMES MEYER CLAIMS THAT THIS OLD ABANDONED AIRFIELD, THE HOME OF THE EVERGLADES JETPORT PROJECT FROM THE 70S, WOULD BE THE BEST BECAUSE OF ITS LOCATION. 39MI, INCLUDING AN EXISTING BIG PLANE RUNWAY ALONG U.S. 41 ON THE MIAMI DADE COLLIER LINE. PLUS, HE SAYS HE WANTS TO USE THE SWAMP AS A HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE. YOU DON’T NEED TO INVEST THAT MUCH IN THE PERIMETER. PEOPLE GET OUT. THERE’S NOT MUCH WAITING FOR THEM OTHER THAN ALLIGATORS AND PYTHONS. ON SUNDAY, HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN OKEECHOBEE AND ON NEARBY INDIAN RESERVATIONS GATHERED OUTSIDE THE FACILITY. WHEN THIS WAS STILL A PROPOSAL. THEY AREN’T AGAINST ICE OR DEPORTATIONS. THEY AGAINST DEVELOPMENT IN THE EVERGLADES. THIS ISN’T ABOUT POLITICS. THIS IS ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT. AND IF WE DON’T PUT OUR FOOT DOWN AND STOP DEVELOPING OUT HERE IN THESE WILDLANDS, WE’RE NOT GOING TO HAVE ANY LEFT. THERE’S WATER QUALITY CONCERNS, AIR QUALITY CONCERNS. YOU KNOW, ALL THOSE ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS. AND ONCE YOU OPEN THE DOOR FOR THIS, THEN OTHER THINGS ARE GOING TO START HAPPENING OUT HERE. AND, YOU KNOW, THE PRESERVE WAS CREATED TO STOP ALL OF THIS DEVELOPMENT. ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ IS DUBBED AS A TEMPORARY FACILITY, BUT THE AG SAYS THEY WILL ONLY BE BUILDING LIGHT INFRASTRUCTURE ON THE PROPERTY, WITH A PLANNED OPENING DAY SOMETIME AROUND THE FIRST WEEK OF JULY.

Updated: 12:50 PM CDT Jun 24, 2025

Editorial Standards ⓘ

Florida to detain migrants in new Everglades facility dubbed 'Alligator Alcatraz'

Updated: 12:50 PM CDT Jun 24, 2025

Editorial Standards ⓘ

Construction of a temporary migrant detention facility in the Florida Everglades will move forward, according to Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier."Alligator Alcatraz," as Uthmeier calls it, is being erected on a little-used airstrip in the Everglades, the vast expanse of marshes and swamps that covers much of southern Florida and hosts a dizzying array of wildlife, from hundreds of bird species to bobcats, panthers, crocodiles and alligators."You don’t need to invest that much in the perimeter. If people get out, there’s not much waiting for them other than alligators and pythons," Uthmeier said in an announcement video that casts the facility as "the one-stop shop to carry out President Trump’s mass deportation agenda" and features slow-motion footage of snapping alligators.Construction should be fast, Uthmeier said, as the facility will consist of “light infrastructure” like heavy-duty tents and trailers. The facility will also have 5,000 beds and will open by early July. The National Guard will also be on site to help run the facility, according to Uthmeier, who said he met with Trump administration border czar Tom Homan on Sunday.The attorney general promised fair legal proceedings for detainees held at the facility, telling Johnson, "We’ll give them the due process that all these courts say they need."Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem praised the state’s “cost-effective and innovative” plan on X Monday, writing, “We will expand facilities and bed space in just days, thanks to our partnership with Florida.”Noem said the new Florida detention facilities will be funded “in large part” by the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Shelter and Services Program.

Construction of a temporary migrant detention facility in the Florida Everglades will move forward, according to Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier.

"Alligator Alcatraz," as Uthmeier calls it, is being erected on a little-used airstrip in the Everglades, the vast expanse of marshes and swamps that covers much of southern Florida and hosts a dizzying array of wildlife, from hundreds of bird species to bobcats, panthers, crocodiles and alligators.

"You don’t need to invest that much in the perimeter. If people get out, there’s not much waiting for them other than alligators and pythons," Uthmeier said in an that casts the facility as "the one-stop shop to carry out President Trump’s mass deportation agenda" and features slow-motion footage of snapping alligators.

Construction should be fast, Uthmeier said, as the facility will consist of “light infrastructure” like heavy-duty tents and trailers. The facility will also have 5,000 beds and will open by early July.

The National Guard will also be on site to help run the facility, according to Uthmeier, who said he met with Trump administration border czar Tom Homan on Sunday.

The attorney general promised fair legal proceedings for detainees held at the facility, telling Johnson, "We’ll give them the due process that all these courts say they need."

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem praised the state’s “cost-effective and innovative” plan Monday, writing, “We will expand facilities and bed space in just days, thanks to our partnership with Florida.”

Noem said the new Florida detention facilities will be funded “in large part” by the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Shelter and Services Program.

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Florida to detain migrants in new Everglades facility dubbed 'Alligator Alcatraz'

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