President Donald Trump announced that he has approved Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' proposal to deputize National Guard Judge Advocate General Corps officers to serve as immigration judges at a newly built detention facility in the Everglades.
"He didn't even have to ask me. He has my approval," Trump said during a roundtable discussion at the facility, which officials have informally dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz."
DeSantis said the initiative is intended to reduce the immigration court backlog and expedite deportations, as The Miami Herald reports. "We're cutting through bureaucracy," he said, citing the ability to conduct proceedings and deportations from a single site.
Florida's plan identifies nine National Guard JAG officers who could undergo six weeks of training to qualify as immigration judges, a role that, unlike Article III federal judges, falls under the Department of Justice. A spokesperson for the National Guard told the Herald that it has not yet received formal word to begin training the judge advocates but was "standing by to provide support to this mission as needed and directed by Governor DeSantis."
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During the same visit, Trump and DeSantis also discussed plans for a second facility near Jacksonville, as the Tallahasee Democrat reports. Homeland Security officials said construction there could begin shortly after July 4.
The visit and policy announcements drew criticism from immigration advocates and some Democratic lawmakers such as State Senator Shevrin Jones (D-Miami Gardens):
"Florida is building a prison camp in the Everglades under the false cover of a quote-unquote 'emergency' – with zero transparency, zero legislative oversight, zero accountability. This isn't about safety. It's about scoring political points by targeting immigrants and stoking fear"
"Alligator Alcatraz", built on the grounds of the former Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport within Big Cypress National Preserve, includes a runway that officials say will facilitate the rapid removal of detainees by air. The razor-wired facility, which can hold 3,000 migrants, is set to receive its first detainees as early as July 2.
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