Tribal Lands INVADED – Who Gave the Green Light?

Protesters lined Highway 41 through the Florida Everglades to oppose an emergency migrant detention site that threatens sacred tribal lands and endangered species habitat.

At a Glance

• Demonstrators blocked construction access to the “Alligator Alcatraz” detention project.
• The site lies inside Big Cypress Preserve near Miccosukee and Seminole lands.
• Governor DeSantis authorized the facility under emergency executive powers.
• Lawsuits allege violations of environmental and tribal sovereignty laws.
• Construction continues despite Indigenous-led protests and legal pushback.

Dump Trucks Face Tribal Line

Hundreds of demonstrators flanked U.S. Highway 41 in a tense showdown over Florida’s controversial migrant detention project, nicknamed “Alligator Alcatraz” by critics. The site, located deep within Big Cypress National Preserve, drew a unified front of tribal leaders, environmentalists, and residents. Vehicles were temporarily blocked as protestors formed a human line against bulldozers delivering materials for a planned 5,000-person facility authorized under a DeSantis executive order. Ecologist and former city commissioner Christopher McVoy called the situation “devastating,” saying the area was “never meant for this kind of pressure.”

Watch a report: Protests erupt against ‘Alligator Alcatraz’.

Sacred Sites, Vanishing Wildlife

The detention center is being constructed within range of endangered species habitats—including those of the Florida panther and American crocodile—and adjacent to Indigenous burial grounds. The Center for Biological Diversity and Friends of the Everglades have filed a federal lawsuit alleging the state bypassed mandatory reviews under the Endangered Species Act and National Environmental Policy Act. Advocates warn that altering the water flow in Big Cypress could trigger cascading ecological damage, endangering the entire Everglades watershed.

Ceremony Meets Conflict

Miccosukee elder and activist Betty Osceola led a traditional prayer walk along the protest route, declaring the land sacred and demanding a halt to development until environmental assessments are completed. Meanwhile, Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava has asked the state to pause construction, citing legal ambiguities and community unrest. But construction continues under emergency status, funded in part by FEMA and state appropriations totaling nearly $450 million.

With lawsuits mounting and spiritual leaders marching, the swamp now stands as the battleground for sovereignty, species survival, and Florida’s high-stakes immigration policy.