‘Nowhere to go, nowhere to hide’: Florida builds ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ in Everglades for migrant detention

Florida has started building a new migrant detention center in the vast Everglades as part of an effort to speed up large-scale deportations. This facility, nicknamed “Alligator Alcatraz” by Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, is designed to be efficient and low-cost, using the natural surroundings to improve security.

The large wetlands and swamps of southern Florida, which are home to many dangerous animals like alligators and pythons, are expected to act as a strong barrier against escape attempts, reducing the need for expensive security measures, according to BBC and CNN.

The idea behind this facility is to use the natural environment to hold migrants while they wait for deportation. The dangerous conditions of the Everglades, filled with threats like alligators and pythons, are meant to discourage anyone from trying to flee. This approach is key to Florida’s plan to make the facility both cost-effective and efficient in supporting a national push for more deportations. The Florida Attorney General has described this site as a complete solution for processing people who are set to be removed from the country.

Florida wants to make a prison for immigrants that is worse than prisons for mass murderers

The location chosen for “Alligator Alcatraz” is the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport, an abandoned airport deep in the Everglades. The site covers about 39 square miles and includes an 11,000-foot runway. It is located roughly 36 miles west of downtown Miami and just 6 miles north of Everglades National Park, putting it close to one of the world’s most important natural reserves.

Construction of the detention center is expected to move quickly, with officials hoping to have it ready by the first week of July. The setup will be simple, mostly using heavy-duty tents and trailers so it can be put together fast. The National Guard will help run the facility once it opens. This temporary structure is part of a larger plan by Florida officials to add space for 5,000 more detained migrants across several locations in the state by early July. This expansion is meant to support the existing national detention system, especially as authorities aim to make a high number of immigration-related arrests each day.

As a former correctional officer for a prison that housed murderers, rapists, hitmen, and serial killers, I have to say this is overboard. These aren’t even people confirmed to have broken the law by a court and sentenced; they were just suspected enough to be arrested. These are people who may have come illegally, but putting them in this place makes it seem like they’re the biggest criminals around even though they aren’t, and maybe that’s what this administration wants when they see other humans as animals.

The money for these new detention centers, including “Alligator Alcatraz,” will likely come mostly from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Shelter and Services Program. This represents a big change in how the program’s funds are used since, in the past, the money went toward helping migrants after they were released from federal custody, providing basic needs like food, shelter, and medical care. Despite criticism of the project, Florida’s Attorney General has said that detainees at the facility will receive proper legal procedures.