Alligator Alcatraz: Trump speaks at immigration detention center in Florida Everglades

USA Today

7 hours ago

President Donald Trump will take a tour of the facility in the Florida Everglades and then attend a roundtable.
President Donald Trump is visiting the so-called "Alligator Alcatraz" immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades on Tuesday, July 1. According to the White House, Trump will participate in a roughly one-hour walking tour of the facility around 10 a.m., followed by a roundtable discussion shortly after 11 a.m. He then departs for Washington, D.C., at midday.
Joining Trump will be Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds from Naples, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Immigration and Custom Enforcement Acting Director Todd Lyons and Florida Division of Emergency Management Executive Director Kevin Guthrie.
The visit to the controversial detention center comes as concerns continue to spike about the capacity at state and national detention centers as the administration vows to increase the pace of immigrant apprehensions and removal from the United States.
Trump said immigration crackdown is example of 'great government'
In remarks before beginning his tour of the facility, which would accept the first wave of detainees after the president departed, Trump restated the priority remains "the worst of the worst always first" amid the arrests of untold numbers of people who did not have criminal backgrounds.
"I think it's great government what we've done," Trump said.
The president added that he was "encouraged, actually surprised" by what he termed as a "a lot of self-deporting" by individuals who voluntarily left the United States. But he expressed disappointment that "blue states" are doing far less immigration enforcement.
"We have a lot of states, they seem to be red states, and not to too many blue states for whatever reason," he said. "The red states, Republican-run states are doing it, the blue states don't do very well at security and policing, unfortunately."
Trump also touted what he said would be financial windfalls via a "tremendous amount" of Homeland Security money in teh Big Beautiful Bill still being debated on Capitol Hill.
He said the legislation would provide more funding for border wall "to keep the border secure" while steering funds for other states as well.
"It's an amazing bill for Florida, too," he said.
Kristi Noem says ICE, Florida have a 'unique' partnership
Noem touted the "unique" partnership between the Trump and DeSantis administrations.
"Florida was unique in what they presented to us and I would ask every other governor to do the exact same thing," she said.
For example, Noem stated that the Alligator Alcatraz facility would include a court component so that those held could have their hearings and due process there "and then immediately be flown back to their home countries."
Beaming DeSantis calls out other red state governors to follow Florida
A beaming DeSantis said the facility is a "model" and again touted the program requiring state and local law enforcement to partner with ICE on apprehending immigrants.
"On any given day, Florida constitutes about 20% of all immigration arrests nationwide," he said. "What I would just say is don't let Florida be the only state. We got very red states that should be doing this just as much as Florida is doing. That will increase their numbers."
The governor held open the possibility of broadening the capacity at the Ochopee site, but said the real breakthrough would be deputizing National Guard judge advocates as immigration judges, exponentially speeding up the adjudication process.
"So they're not going to be detained hopefully for all that long," DeSantis siad. "We want to cut through that [bureaucracy] so that we have an efficient operation between Florida and DHS to get the removal of these illegals done."
He also agreed with Trump that the existence of the facility encourage those potentially facing deportation to leave on their own.
"You'll have a lot of people that will deport on their own because they don't want to end up in an Alligator Alcatraz or some of those other places," he said. "So I think this a model but we need other states to step up."
In non-Alligator Alley news, Elon Musk threatens GOP leaders set to pass Trump's bill
Protestors gather outside of Alligator Alcatraz
Protester Holden Manning was one of the many protesters at Alligator Alcatraz on Tuesday, July 1 said:
'I don't think there's any room for fascism in the United States of America. Where's the waste of 5000 people going to go? It's going to go into the waterways that directly impact our communities. This is something that everybody needs to worry about.'
Protestors are showing up in higher numbers, while some Trump supporters have joined the scene that could be described as a media circus.
Trump leaves White House wearing 'Gulf of America' cap
Trump left Washington wearing a red cap with Gulf of America written in large letters and "Yet Another TRUMP Development' in smaller script.
"We're going out to Alligator Alcatraz," the president said, adding: "It should be very exciting and very good. Worked very hard on it with Ron and everybody and I think it's going to be great."
But the battle in the U.S. Senate over the "Big Beautiful Bill," his landmark legislative initiative, was clearly on Trump's mind
"We're going to have to see the final version. I don't want to go too crazy with cuts," he said. "I don't like cuts. There are certain things that have been cut, which is good. I think we're doing well. We're going to have to see, it's some very complicated stuff."
Nonetheless, Trump joked about the terrain surrounding the Everglades Alcatraz site.
"You know, the snakes are fast, but alligators, we're going to teach them how to run away from an alligator. Okay?" he mused. "If they escape prison, how to run away. Don't run in a straight line. Look like this. And you know what? Your chances go up about 1%. Not a good thing."
Trump muses about taking 'look at' deporting Elon Musk
Clearly angry about former bromantic partner Elon Musk's turn against the congressional legislation, Trump mused about deporting the South African native in speaking with reporters.
"I dunno, we'll have to take a look," Trump said, then threatened Musk's government contracts well beyond the electric vehicle mandate that is on the chopping block.
"But he could lose a lot more than that. I can tell you right now, Elon can lose a lot more than that, Trump said, then added: "We might have to put DOGE on Elon. You know what DOGE is? DOGE is the monster that might have to go back and eat Elon. Wouldn't that be terrible?"
Watch live: President Trump to visit Alligator Alcatraz in the Florida Everglades
Congresswoman who represents Trump's Mar-a-Lago district decries detention center
U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel, D-West Palm Beach, called the detention center and Trump's visit a "political stunt" she said should highlight what is actually an environmentally damaging waste of taxpayer dollars.
'Turning our treasured Everglades into a prison camp, where migrants — most of whom live here peacefully and contribute to our economy — would be held in sweltering, inhumane conditions, is not who we are as Americans," Frankel said in a statement. "And at $450 million a year, it's a staggering waste of taxpayer resources. We need immigration reform, not political stunts."
Environmental groups sue to stop building Everglades detention center
Two groups, Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity, have filed a lawsuit against the Florida Division of Emergency Management, the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement to stop what they said is the "unlawful construction of a prison in the heart of the Everglades."
Sierra Club Florida also is opposed to the development, which it said is "irresponsible."
"This proposal is not only deeply inhumane, it is profoundly irresponsible from an environmental, ethical, and fiscal standpoint," the state chapter of the national organization said in a statement June 24. "The Everglades is a unique and fragile ecosystem — a UNESCO World Heritage Site, home to countless endangered species, and a vital source of drinking water for more than nine million Floridians. To pave over a portion of this irreplaceable landscape for a high‑security prison is nothing short of ecological vandalism."
Everglades Alcatraz site coincides with another death in a Florida immigration detention center
On June 26, a Cuban-American living in South Florida for nearly 60 years died while being held by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Isidro Pérez, 75, had been detained since his June 5 arrest in the Florida Keys, where he was living, and taken to the Krome North Service Processing Center. In a statement, ICE said the agency " remains committed to ensuring that all those in its custody reside in safe, secure, and humane environments."
But conditions at facilities like the Krome detention center have been widely criticized by immigration advocates and family members of those being held saying they are overcrowded and lack proper sanitation. Perez is the fifth person to die in government custody this year, according to federal records.
The Florida fatalities account for half of the deaths suffered by people under the agency's detention this year.
Joe Garcia, a former Democratic member of Congress from southern Miami-Dade County, said the Perez case speaks to the "horror that we know is Krome."
Garcia noted that Perez's offense was for drug possession, not distribution or production, that is the lowest possible violation. And it occurred 41 years ago, he noted.
Once Perez became seriously ill, he was needlessly kept captive rather than being let go.
"Instead of releasing him to his family we sent him back to Krome," Garcia said. "And now he's dead. And the question is why? Why was this guy in jail? It's part of what's going on."
Now, Garcia said, the state and federal authorities have specifically chosen South Florida for the high-profile detention center.
"This is a concentration camp based on racial profiling," Garcia said of the Everglades facility. "More importantly, this was built in the capital of the Hispanic community in the United States precisely to make a point. The idea is even here, right, even here, Miami, which is run by Hispanics, we put this place."
Plus, Garcia said, to demonstrate cruelty to people who are not "fugitives from justice" but were apprehended as they lived their everyday lives.
"None of these people were running," he said. "It is all done to intimidate and dehumanize our community."
Change.org petition calls for stopping development
An outdoors enthusiast is circulating a petition via Change.org calling for halting the use of the detention center.
Donny Dorman, 33, said he was inspired to offer the petition after spending months living In the Everglades wilderness.
"I lived out there in the wilderness for a while," said Dorman, who works in commercial and residential storm restoration in the Port Charlotte area. "I fell in love with it. It's beautiful out there. I can only imagine the impact this facility is going to cause with the endangered species and the pollution it's going to cause."
Dorman said he is very familiar with the location of the detention center, which is located at jetpot landing strip once envisioned as an airport.
He said he was invited by a friend two years ago to live in a cabin about 3 miles north of the jetport.
"It was so peaceful. It was its own oasis," he said. "And they are literally building it right on on the front porch of this oasis I'm speaking of."
But more than a zen spot, Dorman said he worries the impact any development will have on the Everglades, which he called a "very sensitive ecosystem" that supplies 8 million people with drinking water.
"Something has to be done," he said. "We can't allow this to happen. I hope people take notice of this and find alternative location for detention center. Why would you want to destroy such a fragile ecosystem for such a short-term gain. I feel like there's other alternative solutions to this problem."
Gladesman quips he was 'first inmate' at Alligator Alcatraz
"They locked the gate," recalled Justin Cunningham of the moment last month when federal and state officials locked access to what would become Alligator Alcatraz. "They locked us all in."
Cunningham is a Gladesman, a bevy of people who have lived in cabins in the 39 square miles that includes the jetport and now Alligator Alcatraz. A U.S. Air Force veteran, Cunningham spends his time hunting and wildlife watching.
His family has been living and recreating in this part of the Everglades since before the Korean War. Cunningham is a fourth-generation Gladesman owner of property. When the government chose to use the site for an immigration detention facility, Cunningham said the gate on the lone road was locked. He and other property owners were given a code.
"I'm under the hope they keep everything inside the fence and that we are allowed to use this land," he said.
But his concern is over the impact the development of the site will have on the natural wilderness around it.
Typically, Cunningham saw 15 to 20 cars at most come up the road to the jetport to spy wildlife such as roseate spoonbills, Florida panthers, black bears, turkeys and, yes, alligators.
Since preparation of the site for an immigration holding facility began, he has seen 300 to 500 trucks a day pass through, as well as helicopters. He's seen the paving of previously dirt roads and "constant" traffic.
Once it is fully operational, Cunningham predicts that the movement and disturbance will continue with vehicles bringing inmates, security guards, food and sewer services.
"There's no way you can tell me that 200, 300, 400, 500 trucks a day and the inmates and employees are not affecting the Everglades. Anyone with half a brain can see that," he said.
Cunningham said Homestead Air Force base or the facility at Avon Park farther up north would be better.
"Don't get me wrong, I'm all for removing illegal immigrants. What I have a problem with is you're hurting a very fragile ecosystem. I kinda feel cheated. We have every animal that's listed on the endangered species list in Florida making a home out here. "
Protesters gathered June 28 at access road to airport
On June 28, protesters gathered at the access road to the Dade-Collier Airport to protest the construction of the detention center. The demonstration was led by Betty Osceola, an activist and a member of the Miccosukee tribe.
Trump popular in Miami-Dade, but immigration conflicting supporters
The president's visit would come as his immigration policies are roiling Miam-Dade County, a jurisdiction that has been a longtime bastion of Florida's Hispanic population, as well as a business hub and political base. It's also a place where Republicans have made significant inroads in the Trump era.
Trump crushed Vice President Kamala Harris in the traditional blue county in the 2024 presidential balloting. He lost the county to President Joe Biden in 2020, though by a narrower margin than in 2016 against Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.
But the crackdown on immigration, particularly detaining and deporting people with pending asylum and other status cases, has caused consternation. So has the administration's ending temporary protective status for Venezuelans and canceling a humanitarian parole program that benefited Cubans and Nicaraguans.
This month, state Sen. Ileana Garcia, a Miami Republican, spoke out on X in a post highly critical of White House immigration adviser Stephen Miller.
"I understand the importance of deporting criminal aliens, but what we are witnessing are arbitrary measures to hunt down people who are complying with their immigration hearings — in many cases, with credible fear of persecution claims — all driven by a Miller-like desire to satisfy a self-fabricated deportation goal," wrote Garcia, a founder of the Latinas for Trump movement."This undermines the sense of fairness and justice that the American people value."
Another southern Miami-Dade County immigration holding facility, the Krome Detention Center, has been the site of protests. Activists and attorneys for some of those being held there have decried the conditions and overcrowding.
While critical of the Biden Administration's border policies, Miami's three Cuban-American members of Congress, Mario-Diaz-Balart, Carlos Gimenez and Maria Elvira Salazar, have also supported continuing TPS coverage for Venezuelans. In May, the three, all Republicans, issued a statement saying they "have consistently supported and will continue to support Temporary Protected Status" for Venezuelans in the United States.
"There is a clear distinction between individuals, such as members of the Tren de Aragua who exploited Biden's open border and wreaked havoc on American communities, and the many Venezuelans who have arrived in our country, fleeing the political crises under the repressive dictatorship of (Nicolás) Maduro with legitimate claims of persecution," the lawmakers said.
'Alligator Alcatraz' merch pushed by GOP
As officials move forward with plans to open a new migrant detention facility nicknamed "Alligator Alcatraz" in Florida's Everglades, the state's GOP has started selling themed shirts, hats and coolers.
The items are available on the party's online store, which feature the "Alligator Alcatraz" moniker surrounded by claw marks. The t-shirts and beverage coolers also show a stylized mockup of the building, with a large alligator and snake in the foreground.
Gov. Ron DeSantis said in a Friday interview on Fox News that the new detention center will host its first detainees by July 1, roughly a week and a half after State Attorney General James Uthmeier posted the first video about the proposed facility and a week after construction began.
"The perimeter's already set by mother nature," Uthmeier said about the site in an interview posted on X. "A lot of people thought maybe it was just a joke, but we're serious."
The Florida GOP's items echo similar political merchandise popularized by the Republican party in recent years, like the Trump campaign's embrace of t-shirts using his 2023 mug shot. More recently, Trump supporters seized on the moment NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said "daddy has to sometimes use strong language," with the release of a video of Trump set to "Hey Daddy (Daddy's Home)" by Usher and "daddy" t-shirts from The Trump War Room, run by Trump's campaign operation.
What is 'Alligator Alcatraz'?
The federal government on June 23 approved a proposal to open a 5,000-bed detention facility on 39-square miles of land in the Everglades, according to Uthmeier, which includes converting existing structures from the Miami-Dade Collier Training and Transition Airport. The Florida facility, estimated to cost $450 million annually, could eventually house up to 5,000 people, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
The facility, close to the Everglades National Park, has drawn backlash from locals and environmental groups. Two groups, Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity, have filed a lawsuit against the Florida Division of Emergency Management, the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement to stop what they said is the "unlawful construction of a prison in the heart of the Everglades."
Sierra Club Florida also is opposed to the development, which it said is "irresponsible."
"This 30-square-mile-area is completely surrounded by the Everglades," Uthmeier said in a video proposing the site. "It presents an efficient, low-cost opportunity to build a temporary detention facility because you don't need to invest that much in the perimeter. People get out, there's not much waiting for 'em other than alligators and pythons−nowhere to go, nowhere to hide."
Within days, trucks were seen bringing in materials, the Department of Homeland Security gave its approval and said FEMA money would be used to help fund it, and the governor's office announced the state would use emergency powers to take control of the land away from Miami-Dade County.
The governor told "Fox and Friends" co-host Steve Doocy is set to hold more than 3,000 undocumented immigrants. "We've got a massive runway right behind us where any of the federal assets, if they wanna fly these people back to their own country, they can do it one-stop-shop."
The move comes as both DeSantis and the Trump administration ramp up efforts to seize and deport undocumented immigrants in Florida and across the country, and several weeks after the president ordered federal agencies to reopen the original infamous Alcatraz, long a San Francisco tourist attraction, to "house America's most ruthless and violent offenders."
Where is Alligator Alcatraz located?
The "Alligator Alcatraz" facility is in Ochopee, Florida, just north of Everglades National Park and about 36 miles west of the Miami business district, CNN reported.
According to the Miami International Airport, the Dade-Collier Airport is used as a training facility for "commercial pilots, private training, and a small number of military touch-and-goes."
It's also around the ancestral homelands of the Miccosukee and Seminole Tribe of Florida. Tribal members have denounced the development of detainment camps on indigenous land.
The facility was constructed in 1968 and originally known as the Everglades Jetport, according to the National Park Service, before an environmental study and activist protests killed the plan.
In 1974, President Gerald Ford established Big Cypress National Preserve in the area, the nation's first national preserve. The Alligator Alcatraz site is about six miles from Big Cypress National Preserve.
Contributing: Melina Khan, USA TODAY, Antonio Fin, USA TODAY Network; Reuters.
Antonio Fins is a politics and business editor at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at [e-mail]. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.