MAGA Celebrates Florida's 'Alligator Alcatraz'—'Voted for Exactly This'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
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A new plan to convert a remote Everglades airstrip into a migrant detention center, dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz," has been celebrated by MAGA supporters, who hailed it as a victory for the hard-line immigration agenda they voted for.
Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said the facility would be funded through the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Shelter and Services Program, which has been used to provide housing and support for undocumented migrants.
Why It Matters
The remote facility is expected to cost Florida approximately $450 million annually to operate. The proposal comes as President Donald Trump's administration looks to conduct what they describe as the largest mass deportations operation in U.S. history.
A stock image shows an alligator in Big Cypress National Preserve in the Florida Everglades on May 27, 2025.
A stock image shows an alligator in Big Cypress National Preserve in the Florida Everglades on May 27, 2025.
Rebecca Blackwell/AP
What To Know
In a video shared on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, who came up with the plan, promoted the site's location as a natural barrier to prevent escapes.
"This presents a great opportunity for the state of Florida to work with Miami Dade and Collier counties," he said.
The 39-square-mile site is situated at the Miami Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport.
According to Uthmeier, the facility could become operational within 30 to 60 days after construction begins and could accommodate up to 1,000 immigrants who entered the country illegally.
The site was chosen in part because it has an airstrip that could be used to fly in immigrants, according to Fox Business.
Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniela Levine Cava is pushing back against Uthmeier's proposal.
"Due to the location of this parcel in a critical area, the conveyance of this parcel requires considerable review and due diligence," Levine Cava said in a statement.
"It is also imperative that we fully understand the scope and scale of the proposed use of the site and what will be developed, as the impacts to the Everglades ecosystem could be devastating."
The plan to create the detention center has been celebrated by MAGA loyalists as a step toward delivering on the immigration crackdown they've long demanded.
One user on X, MAGA Voice, wrote: "I VOTED FOR EXACTLY THIS."
Another user on the platform, @WCdispatch_ said: "Alligator Alcatraz is gonna be lit."
What People Are Saying
One user on X, @FedSlayer, said: "Florida's leading with boldness. Only in America do we turn a swamp into an escape proof prison. Anyone wanting to attempt an escape should be given a 10 minute headstart!"
X user Jules31415 wrote: "Kristi Noem says the federal government will fund an effort by Florida to set up immigration detention centers, including a proposed site in the Everglades that's been dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz." Predictably, Dems are stark raving mad about this."
X user Christopher Webb said in a post: "FLORIDA People are sick if they think this is okay. What kind of immigrants are they planning to dump on "Alligator Alcatraz"? Because in Los Angeles they're snatching flower-selling grandmas and men washing cars. These are human beings who deserve due process, not this cruelty."
Journalist Karly Kingsley wrote in a post on X: "Florida's building "Alligator Alcatraz" by diverting FEMA shelter funds meant for housing and aid. They're not protecting anyone, they're stealing emergency relief money to build detention centers in a swamp. Cruelty is always the point."
Noem said in a statement: "Under President Trump's leadership, we are working at turbo speed to deliver cost-effective and innovative ways to deliver on the American people's mandate for mass deportations of criminal illegal aliens."
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