An immigration detention facility located at an isolated Everglades airfield surrounded by mosquito-, python- and alligator-filled swamplands is just days away from being operational, federal officials said Tuesday.
Florida officials are racing ahead with the construction of what they've dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz” to help carry out President Donald Trump’s mass deportation agenda, working to build a compound of heavy-duty tents, trailers and temporary buildings similar to sites used during natural disasters.
The construction of the facility in the remote and ecologically sensitive wetland about 45 miles (72 kilometers) west of downtown Miami is alarming human rights advocates and environmentalists. State officials say the installation is critical to support the federal government's immigration enforcement agenda.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, a former chief of staff for Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and a key architect of the state's aggressive immigration enforcement campaign, has said the harsh conditions surrounding the far-flung airstrip and its nearly 10,500-foot (3,200-meter) runway make it an ideal location to house and transport migrants.
"We don’t need to build a lot of brick and mortar," Uthmeier said in an interview with conservative media commentator Benny Johnson. “And thankfully, Mother Nature does a lot on the perimeter.”
“There’s really nowhere to go. If you’re housed there, if you're detained there, there's no way in, no way out," Uthmeier added.
Construction of the site is part of the state's plan to operationalize 5,000 immigration detention beds by early July across a number of other facilities, according to Uthmeier.
The plan has the backing of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which called the facility “innovative” and “cost-effective.”
“Alligator Alcatraz will expand facilities and bed space in just days, thanks to our partnership with Florida," DHS said in a statement on X.
State officials are commandeering the land using state emergency powers, under an executive order issued by DeSantis during the administration of then-President Joe Biden to respond to what the governor deemed a crisis caused by illegal immigration.
Florida is moving forward with the construction on the land owned by Miami-Dade County over the concerns of County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, local activists and Native American tribal leaders who consider the area sacred.
“Governor DeSantis has insisted that the state of Florida, under his leadership, will facilitate the federal government in enforcing immigration law,” a DeSantis spokesperson said in a statement.
“Florida will continue to lead on immigration enforcement.”
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Kate Payne is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
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