Trump's Remark at Detention Center: "Law Enforcement Reminiscent of Alligators" - Trump compares immigration enforcement officials at a detention facility to alligators while visiting a deportation camp.
In a remote area of the Florida Everglades, a new immigration detention center, informally known as "Alligator Alcatraz," has been established at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport. The facility, constructed in a natural disaster response-style of tents and trailers, boasts a highly secure environment, with alligators patrolling the swamps surrounding it, serving as unconventional "bodyguards" or "cops" [1][2].
The detention center, expected to hold up to 5,000 people, is designed for mass detention, with footage showing bunk beds inside cages, suggesting a capacity of around 3,000 [3][4]. The facility, which has become a symbol of the aggressive immigration crackdown under former President Donald Trump, has sparked controversy among immigrant activists, environmental groups, and human rights advocates.
Environmental groups have filed lawsuits alleging violations of the Endangered Species Act, as the facility is built on protected Everglades land [2]. Protesters, including environmentalists and Native American activists, have demonstrated against the facility's presence and the harsh treatment of migrants there [2]. Critics have condemned the harsh conditions and remote location, deeming it inhumane.
Trump and his supporters, however, frame the detention center as a model for expanding detention infrastructure nationwide, aiming to increase deportations and maintain tight security [1][2]. During his visit to the center, Trump reiterated his promise of a "largest deportation program in the history of the USA" and criticized President Joe Biden's immigration policy [5].
The prison, secured with high fences, barbed wire, and numerous surveillance cameras, houses migrants in large tents containing grilled cells with bunk beds [6]. Governor Ron DeSantis expressed a desire to help Trump "remove these illegals without bureaucracy" [7]. Despite Trump's suggestion to reopen Alcatraz for imprisoning immigrants, experts consider it unrealistic due to high costs [8].
The Supreme Court has recently approved this practice, and the prison, currently operational as a former airfield, is guarded by alligators in the swamp area [9]. Protesters, carrying signs saying "Hands off our Everglades," have demonstrated against Trump's immigration policy at the center's only access road [10]. The detention center, reflecting a strategic yet contentious approach to immigration enforcement policy in the U.S., remains a subject of ongoing debate.
The controversial detention center, named "Alligator Alcatraz," located in Florida, served as a symbol of the aggressive immigration policies under former President Donald Trump. This facility, constructed amidst protests from immigrant activists, environmental groups, and human rights advocates, is now operational, previously housing up to 5,000 people and becoming a subject of debate in American politics and general news, particularly within the realm of crime and justice.
