President Donald Trump toured a newly built immigration detention center in Florida on Tuesday, calling it a “blueprint” for accelerating deportations and describing it as a potential model for other states. (Also Read: Trump Rejects Everglades Pollution Concerns Over Detention Center Site)
The facility, informally named “Alligator Alcatraz,” was constructed in just eight days and sits deep in the Everglades. Trump, speaking to reporters at the site, referenced its nickname casually but acknowledged he’s grown fond of it.
“It’s meant more as a joke, but the more I thought of it, the more I liked it,” he said, gesturing toward visible alligators nearby.
The center is designed to temporarily house up to 3,000 detainees, with a stated goal of keeping individuals no longer than two weeks before deportation. It includes a pre-existing runway, which officials say will be used to expedite removals.
“We’re prioritizing violent criminals,” the acting ICE director said. “But anyone here illegally is breaking the law. We will no longer turn a blind eye.”
The Department of Homeland Security confirmed that funding for the facility came from reallocated FEMA resources previously used to house migrants during the Biden administration.
Despite official claims of rapid processing and short-term detention, critics are voicing concern over legal and environmental issues.
Roughly half of those in ICE custody haven’t been charged with or convicted of any crime, data shows. Civil rights groups say that raises serious concerns about due process.
Environmental groups have also taken legal action, citing the camp’s location in a federally protected ecosystem.
“Get the hell out of our Everglades,” said one protester outside the perimeter.
READ ALSO: Trump Endorses More Detention Centers, Suggests Permanent Expansion
Trump supporters see the project as a firm move on immigration. But some critics have raised concerns about the language used to promote it.
While visiting, Trump stuck to his usual message on immigration.
“I ran on the issue of illegals,” he said. “And we have to get them out.”
Nationwide, ICE’s detention system is currently operating at 140% capacity. The Florida facility, according to Trump, is meant to relieve that pressure and serve as a prototype for additional sites.
Federal officials did not confirm how many more centers may be built or how they would be funded.
Trump believes this model can go nationwide, banking on his proposed immigration bill to clear the path.
As the 2024 campaign ramps up, the Florida facility is a microcosm of the entire immigration debate: a get-tough policy on one side, facing a wall of legal challenges, environmental backlash, and humanitarian outcry on the other.
The alligators may be a simple, toothy distraction; the moral and legal problems they’re meant to guard are far from being solved.
