OAN Staff Blake Wolf
2:13 PM – Tuesday, June 24, 2025
The Trump administration approved the construction of a new Florida detention center for illegal immigrants awaiting deportation near the Florida Everglades, dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz.”
The Trump administration greenlit the facility by utilizing the federal funding the previous Biden administration used to house asylum-seekers.
“Under President Trump’s leadership, we are working at turbo speed on cost-effective and innovative ways to deliver on the American people’s mandate for mass deportations of criminal illegal aliens,” stated Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. “We will expand facilities and bed space in just days, thanks to our partnership with Florida.”
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Florida state officials began building the site on Monday, with its completion expected in less than two months.
The 30-square-mile site is located at a “virtually abandoned airport” in the Everglades, and is expected to hold over 1,000 beds, according to Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier.
“We’ll have some light infrastructure, a lot of heavy duty tent facilities, trailer facilities,” Uthmeier stated. “We don’t need to build a lot of brick-and-mortar.”
“People get out, there’s not much waiting for them other than alligators and pythons —nowhere to go, nowhere to hide,” he continued, adding that the unique location offers “an efficient, low-cost opportunity to build a temporary detention facility.”
“The perimeter’s already set by mother nature,” Uthmeier added. “A lot of people thought maybe it was a joke, but we’re serious.”
Meanwhile, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) announced his support for the plan.
“Governor DeSantis has insisted that the state of Florida, under his leadership, will facilitate the federal government in enforcing immigration law,” DeSantis’ office announced in a statement while moving to take over the proposed property. “Florida will continue to lead on immigration enforcement.”
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