Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration is officially moving forward with the construction of Alligator Alcatraz to house illegal aliens.
A spokesperson for Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier told the New York Times that work on the new facility will commence on Monday in the Everglades.
Uthmeier has been promoting the construction of the facility in the Everglades — specifically on the spot where the Miami-owned Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport currently lies — because the swampy area is naturally full of dangerous wildlife, including alligators.
“It presents an efficient, low-cost opportunity to build a temporary detention facility because you don’t need to invest that much in the perimeter,” he said in a video statement last week. “If people get out, there’s not much waiting for them other than alligators and pythons.”
Alligator Alcatraz: the one-stop shop to carry out President Trump’s mass deportation agenda. pic.twitter.com/96um2IXE7U
— Attorney General James Uthmeier (@AGJamesUthmeier) June 19, 2025
The “efficient, low-cost” project is nevertheless facing pushback from Democrats like Miami Mayor Daniella Levine Cava. Her Deputy Chief of Staff, Rachel Johnson, told CBS News on Tuesday that she’d sent a letter to the state laying out concerns about the project.
“The mayor clearly laid out several concerns regarding the proposed use of the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport (TNT) in a letter to the state detailing specific questions and requesting additional information as part of our due diligence,” she said.
“In particular, the county has significant concerns about the environmental impacts on the Everglades, which is the source of our clean drinking water and the cornerstone of our regional economy, and we requested a detailed analysis and report on the environmental impacts of this facility to the Everglades ecosystem,” she continued.
“We further requested the opportunity for an updated appraisal and a deeper financial analysis to make sure we maximize the value of this public asset on behalf of Miami-Dade taxpayers – given the amount offered is $20 million whereas the most recent appraisal puts the total value of the site at at least $190 million,” she added.
The state is also facing pushback from environmentalists like those with the group known as Friends of the Everglades.
“This site is really important to Friends of the Everglades,” group Executive Director Eve Samples told CBS News. “It’s actually the reason Friends of the Everglades was founded by Marjory Stoneman Douglas in 1969, to stop what would have been the world’s largest airport from being built right there.”
“We call on the governor to put a stop to this proposal right now. It’s a terribly bad idea,” she added.
NO ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ. Send a message NOW to @GovRonDeSantis and @AGJamesUthmeier https://t.co/8tLilPcRCd pic.twitter.com/jAqUabwkW0
— Friends of the Everglades (@FoEverglades) June 23, 2025
Gov. DeSantis, for his part, reportedly intends to use state emergency powers to take control of the airstrip in the Everglades and build the detention facility on top of it.
While speaking with reporters on Wednesday, the governor said that the federal government will be fully funding the facility, which he vowed will be built “in a way that is not going to have impacts on our broader community,” according to Good Morning America.
“We can’t have every illegal housed in our jails because we actually have non-illegals who need to be housed there when they commit crimes, too,” he said.
“We had a request from the federal government to do it,” he continued. “And so ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ it is, and you will see it be done. It will be a force multiplier. It will help DHS, it will help our state and local law enforcement with relieving some burden on resources.”
We can’t have every illegal alien housed in (and filling up) our jails. So, ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ it is—and we’re looking to set up a site at Camp Blanding as well. Florida will be a force multiplier for the federal government and continue to lead the nation in immigration… pic.twitter.com/jTClwDFEos
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) June 25, 2025
The governor also dismissed any potential environmental concerns, saying, “It will have zero impact.”
“This is an airport that’s already there,” he continued. “Clearly, from a security perspective, if someone escapes, you know, there are a lot of alligators you’re going to have to contend with. No one’s going anywhere once you do that. It’s a safe and secure as can be.”
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Author: Vivek Saxena
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