What To Know About ‘Alligator Alcatraz': Hundreds Detained Despite No Criminal Charges

Forbes

2 days ago

A Florida-run detention facility built in just over a week on a remote airstrip in the Everglades—and designed to hold thousands of immigrants—has been described as 'vile' and inhumane by critics, but could be a template for similar facilities in other states.
Work progresses on a new migrant detention facility dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz," at Dade-Collier ... More Training and Transition facility in the Florida Everglades, Friday, July 4, 2025, in Ochopee, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell) Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved
The $450 million site was built on a 39-square-mile abandoned airport facility with a 10,500-foot runway in just eight days, Gov. Ron DeSantis said on a July 1 tour with President Donald Trump.
It's composed of large white tents, rows of bunk beds and chain-link enclosures, with a capacity of 3,000 detainees and potential expansion to 5,000, a DHS official told CNN.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier nicknamed the site 'Alligator Alcatraz' in a June 19 announcement video on X, where he referenced its isolation and surrounding wildlife: 'Nowhere to go, nowhere to hide.'
The center is funded 'in large part' by the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Shelter and Services Program, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said on X.
After touring the site with DeSantis, Trump praised the center as 'so professional, so well done,' NPR reported, and called it an example of 'government working together.'
But Democratic legislators and detainees interviewed by news organizations describe the conditions as 'vile': cramped, overheated and with a lack of access to bathrooms and showers.
A list of 700 current and prospective detainees obtained by the Miami Herald revealed more than 250 have no U.S. criminal convictions or pending charges despite Trump, DeSantis and Noem asserting the detention center is necessary for detaining 'vicious' people and 'deranged psychopaths.' The hundreds of detainees with no criminal convictions or charges have immigration violations, and some are asylum seekers. About one-third of the list have criminal convictions, with charges ranging from attempted murder to traffic violations. DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told the Miami Herald many detainees described as 'non-criminals' were 'terrorists, human rights abusers, gangsters and more.' She said, 'Every single one of these individuals committed a crime when they came into this country illegally' and that 80% of ICE arrests involve individuals with criminal convictions or pending charges. What Are Detainees Saying Life Is Like In 'alligator Alcatraz'?
Detained immigrants at the Everglades facility have characterized the cells as unsanitary and 'inhuman,' with one Venezuelan detainee characterizing the cells as 'zoo cages' in interviews with the Associated Press. The detainee said each cell houses eight beds and is riddled with mosquitoes, crickets and frogs, with detainee wrists and ankles cuffed every time they meet with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. One 28-year-old green card holder said detainees 'have no way to bathe, no way to wash their mouths, the toilet overflows and the floor is flooded with pee and poop.' The detainee also said they are given two minutes to eat per day and that 'the meals have worms.' Attorneys told The AP that detainee rights to due process are being violated, with lawyers waiting hours to speak with clients, some of whom are as young as 15 and have no criminal charges.
The Trump administration and its allies defend the creation and operation of the Everglades detention facility, framing it as a model for future immigration enforcement. DeSantis, in a news conference, touted the site's security: 'They ain't going anywhere once they're there unless you want them to go somewhere, because, good luck getting to civilization.' In an interview with NBC News, Noem pushed back on criticisms of the site's conditions, insisting the facility exceeds federal standards and disputing characterizations of it as a jail. She also encouraged undocumented immigrants to self-deport, saying it would increase their chances of re-entering the U.S. legally in the future Are Other States Considering 'alligator Alcatraz' Encampments?
Noem said at a Saturday press conference that she is 'having ongoing conversations' with five other Republican governors 'about facilities that they may have,' but did not specify which states. South Carolina Republican Gov. Henry McMaster's office said his state will potentially build a site similar to 'Alligator Alcatraz' to detain undocumented migrants, Palmetto Politics reported. Chief Critics
Democratic lawmakers who visited the site told AP the facility was inhumane and unsanitary. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Shultz (D-Fla.) called the space 'really disturbing' and 'vile,' adding that it 'needs to be shut the hell down.' Schultz said there were cage-style units of 32 men sharing three toilet-sink devices, with the temperature at 83 degrees in the housing area entranceway and 85 degrees in a medical intake area. Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost (D-Fla.) said one detainee called out, 'I'm an American citizen,' according to The AP. But state Sen. Blaise Ingoglia, a Republican, said the Democrats' rhetoric 'does not match the reality' and that the facility is well-run and safe. Which Companies Are Helping Build The Facility?
At least nine Florida contractors were involved in building 'Alligator Alcatraz,' including CDR Maguire and CDR Health—whose chief executives donated nearly $2 million to PACs supporting DeSantis' campaign for governor and the Republican Party of Florida, the Miami Herald reports. Matt Michelsen, the founder of Gothams LLC—another contractor involved in creating the facility—had given $25,000 to the Republican Party of Florida in 2021 and an additional $25,000 to DeSantis' 2022 PAC. GardaWorld, a large security service company, also gave $5,000 to DeSantis in 2018, and will provide correctional staffing to the site, according to sources who spoke with the Herald.
The facility's placement in the Everglades has sparked backlash from the Miccoshukee and Seminole Tribes, whose leaders say the site sits on or near sacred Indigenous lands. Miccosukee Business Council secretary William Osceola told ABC that the center is about a 20-minute drive away from the main Miccosukee reservation, and criticized Uthmeier's characterization of the land as having 'not much waiting' for the detainees 'other than alligators and pythons,' saying, 'If there's only pythons and alligators, I'm wondering what I'm doing in that area and what my people and my family have been doing in that area for centuries.' What To Watch For
Uthmeier, who proposed the detention center, had been a frequent Trump critic for his policies on COVID-19, abortion and transgender issues during the 2024 presidential campaign, when he was considered then-presidential candidate DeSantis's 'attack dog.' Ha may be hoping 'Alligator Alcatraz' will help get him on get on Trump's good side by helping carry out his mass deportation plans, Politico reported.