Where is ‘Alligator Alcatraz'? In the heart of the Glades, out past the airboat rides
The state of Florida's controversial new immigration detention facility dubbed 'Alligator Alcatraz' sits smack in the center of the Florida Everglades.
The project — which initially will consist of tents, trailers and portable bathrooms — is located on the north side of the historic east-west corridor long known as the Tamiami Trail but formally designated as U.S. 41. The camp is being quickly thrown up on the site of the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport, a property owned by Miami-Dade and recently seized by the state. Few travelers would even notice the road leading to the airport gate as they zoom by at 60 mph-plus.
The site lies about 40 miles west of the Miami International Airport and about halfway to Naples, out past a series of tourist stops offering airboat rides like Coopertown and Everglades Safari. It's also west of the Shark Valley outpost in Everglades National Park, famed for its tram rides and long biking trail. The closest large landmark to its east is the Miccosukee Indian Village.
Drive west and there are a string of camp grounds, then 10 miles later you'll see famed Everglades photographer Clyde Butcher's Big Cypress Gallery. Keep going and you'll pass Skunk Ape Research Center, an attraction devoted to the mythical swamp dweller. A little further and you'll see the Ochopee Post Office, reputed to be the smallest operating post office in the country.
The facility is within Big Cypress National Preserve, federally protected land, and surrounded on three sides by Miccosukee and Seminole tribal infrastructure, including homes and ceremonial sites.
The airport was constructed in the 1960s as part of an ill-fated effort to build the largest airport in the nation, the Everglades Jetport, before environmentalists shut it down. Since then, the airport has served as a training ground — or emergency landing spot — for pilots of planes large and small.
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Associated Press
2 hours ago
- Associated Press
Trump to visit new Florida immigration detention facility
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump will visit a new immigration detention facility in the Florida Everglades on Tuesday, showcasing his border crackdown in the face of humanitarian and environmental concerns. The trip was confirmed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday. The facility has drawn protests over its potential impact on the delicate ecosystem and criticism that Trump is trying to send a cruel message to immigrants. Some Native American leaders have also opposed construction, saying the land is sacred. The detention facility is being built on an isolated airstrip about 50 miles west of Miami, and it could house 5,000 detainees. The surrounding swampland is filled with mosquitos, pythons and alligators. 'There's really nowhere to go. If you're housed there, if you're detained there, there's no way in, no way out,' Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier told conservative media commentator Benny Johnson. He's described the facility as 'Alligator Alcatraz,' a moniker embraced by the Trump administration. The Department of Homeland Security posted an image of alligators wearing hats with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's acronym. State officials in Florida are spearheading construction but much of the cost is being covered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, which is best known for responding to hurricanes and other natural disasters.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
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Debate over 'Alligator Alcatraz' detention center a personal one for members of Miccosukee and Seminole tribes
The constant rumbling of passing dump trucks drowns out the once familiar chirping of birds at the family home of Mae'anna Osceola-Hart in Everglades National Park. 'It's all-day, all-night truck noise,' says the 21-year-old photographer who describes herself as part Miccosukee and part Seminole, two Florida tribes at the heart of the debate over the detention center known as 'Alligator Alcatraz.' The homes of Miccosukee and Seminole people, as well as their ceremonial sites, surround the detention center on three sides. Osceola-Hart's great-grandfather Wild Bill Osceola fought against the development of an airport at the same site where the ICE facility's construction is now underway. In 1968, authorities in Dade County, now known as Miami-Dade County, began building the Big Cypress Jetport on land the Miccosukees used for ceremonial practices. The Dade County Port Authority referred to the project as the 'world's largest airport,' with six runways designed to handle large jets, and officials were quoted as calling the environmental and tribal leaders who opposed it 'butterfly chasers.' The airport became a flashpoint for resistance, but in 1969, a coalition including Osceola-Hart's great-grandfather, fellow tribesmen and conservationists persuaded Florida Gov. Claude R. Kirk Jr. that the airport would damage the Everglades. He ordered construction be stopped. One runway, approximately 10,000 feet in length, was left behind as a training ground for pilots. Osceola-Hart is proud of her great-grandfather's efforts to stop the 1960s development, but she is disappointed the Miccosukees lost land they considered sacred. 'We got kicked out of ceremonial grounds,' she says. Finding a safe place to live has been an ongoing battle for the tribes in Florida. Seminoles retreated into the Everglades after the Seminole wars ended in 1858. The Miccosukees found refuge in the Everglades after development in Miami and Fort Lauderdale pushed them out of their settlements. Now, many members of the tribes live on the Big Cypress Reservation or in camps of wooden homes along Tamiami Trail (U.S. Highway 41), a road that slices the Everglades east to west and disrupts the natural flow of water from Lake Okeechobee to the park. Construction of that road ended in 1928, changing life dramatically in the Everglades. Tourists were able to access remote areas of the lush national park. The tribes developed tourist attractions, like casinos, chickee huts and airboat tours through the mangroves. Native species declined. Leaders of both tribes are constantly advocating for the preservation of the national park's wildlife and vegetation, but they don't have authority over how the land is used. 'It's a long, fraught battle,' says William 'Popeye' Osceola, secretary of the Miccosukee Tribe, describing how tribes are constantly fighting for rights over the land they have lived on for more than a century. Before he became the tribe's secretary (an elected position), Osceola was an art teacher at the Miccosukee Indian School, passing on the tribe's traditions to his students. 'It's a place where we come for healing, where we come to pray,' says Betty Osceola, a prominent member of the Miccosukee Tribe who is part of the Everglades Advisory Board. Her chickee village is within walking distance of the detention site. The detention center sits on Miami-Dade County land, but Gov. Ron DeSantis seized it under an emergency order, which does not require county commission approval. Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava cited multiple concerns about the immigrant prison in a letter sent to Tallahassee. DeSantis has previously said the center 'helps fulfill President Trump's mission' and that it will have 'zero impact' on the surrounding Everglades area. William Osceola tells young members of his tribe to stay engaged to protect their rights. 'Some of these fights, they come in different forms, but it's still the same fight.' he said. Osceola-Hart agrees. 'This is history repeating itself,' she says. This article was originally published on
Miami Herald
18 hours ago
- Miami Herald
FAA issues alert near ‘Alligator Alcatraz' in the Everglades. Is Trump visiting?
A Federal Aviation Administration alert indicates President Donald Trump may visit the site of 'Alligator Alcatraz' — an immigration detention center under construction in the Everglades. The VIP movement notification was set for Tuesday for Ochopee, Florida, according to the FAA's online advisory. The alert says '30/10 NMR,' which restricts flights within a distance typically reserved for the president. READ MORE: 'Alligator Alcatraz': What you need to know about the Everglades detention camp The project lies about 40 miles west of the Miami International Airport and halfway to Naples. The camp is being quickly built on the site of the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport, a property owned by Miami-Dade and recently seized by the state. The facility is within Big Cypress National Preserve, federally protected land, and surrounded on three sides by Miccosukee and Seminole tribal infrastructure, including homes and ceremonial sites. During a Friday appearance on Fox News, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis hinted at Trump visiting the facility. READ MORE: Environmentalists sue to block Alligator Alcatraz from opening in the Everglades Last week, environmental groups sued in the hopes of getting an injunction to halt the ongoing construction on the site, which is intended to house at least 1,000 people rounded up in the Trump administration's immigration raids. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has said it will be ready to receive migrants next week. Given that rapid timeline, the environmental groups also filed a separate motion asking the judge to issue a temporary restraining order against the government by Tuesday. Miami Herald staff writer Alex Harris contributed to this report
