Govind Tekale
Workers have started building a migrant detention center dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz” deep in Florida’s Everglades. The project, set at an old airstrip called Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport, should open by early July 2025.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier named the facility and promotes it as a smart choice because the surrounding wildlife makes escape nearly impossible. “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 a video.
The detention center supports the Trump administration’s push to increase deportations. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem called the plan “cost-effective and innovative” and said they are working “at turbo speed” on what she termed “the American people’s mandate for mass deportations.”
The facility will start with room for 1,000 people but could grow to hold 5,000. Running it will cost about $450 million yearly. Florida plans to get some of this money back from FEMA’s Shelter and Services Program. Instead of permanent buildings, the center will use heavy-duty tents and trailers.
Many groups strongly oppose the project. Environmental organizations like Friends of the Everglades warn off threats to a delicate ecosystem that’s already getting millions in restoration money. “The impacts to the Everglades ecosystem could be devastating,” Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava wrote to state officials.
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Human rights groups call the plan “cruel” and “inhumane.” They worry about Uthmeier’s comments on using wildlife as a security measure. Critics point out that the remote location will make it hard for detainees to get legal help or proper medical care.
This isn’t the first time this spot has faced development plans. In the 1960s, officials wanted to build the world’s largest airport here, called “Everglades Jetport.” That project stopped after environmental protests. Eve Samples, who leads Friends of the Everglades, called the detention center “a clueless idea that was off the cuff.” Her organization first formed in 1969 to fight development at this same location.
The land belongs to Miami-Dade County, creating another dispute. The state offered $20 million to buy it, but Mayor Levine Cava said it’s worth about $190 million based on recent appraisals.
Despite all these objections, Florida officials insist they’re moving ahead quickly. Uthmeier says the facility should be ready for detainees by the first week of July. National Guard troops will help run the facility.
The project shows the ongoing clash between tough immigration policies and concerns about protecting the environment and treating migrants humanely. As construction continues, both sides remain firm in their views – supporters see it as necessary enforcement while critics view it as an environmental and humanitarian problem. The facility is part of a larger plan by Florida to create space for up to 5,000 detained migrants across several locations. This supports the Trump administration’s goal of significantly increasing immigration arrests and deportations nationwide.
