Alaska Suggests 'Bear Alcatraz' For Migrants to be Detained
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
The state of Alaska has floated the possibility of detaining migrants in an isolated site surrounded by bears.
"We don't have alligators, but we have lots of bears. I am not aware of any plans for an Alaska version of Alligator Alcatraz," the state said in a statement aired on Fox News' The Ingraham Angle on July 1.
Newsweek has contacted the office of Governor Mike Dunleavy for comment via email outside of office hours.
Why It Matters
It comes after Florida unveiled 'Alligator Allcatraz', a new migrant detention center being developed on a remote airstrip in the Everglades. The facility aims to house up to 5,000 detainees and uses the area's natural isolation and wildlife as part of its security measures.
The remote facility is expected to cost Florida approximately $450 million annually to operate. The proposal comes amid President Donald Trump's push for what he has described as the largest mass deportation operation in U.S. history.
What To Know
Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff for policy, called on every Republican governor to contact the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to begin arranging the construction of new detention facilities to house migrants.
"Every governor of a red state, if you are watching tonight: pick up the phone, call DHS, work with us to build facilities in your state so we can get the illegals and criminals out," Miller said.
President Donald Trump tours "Alligator Alcatraz," a new migrant detention facility at Dade-Collier Training and Transition facility, Tuesday, July 1, 2025, in Ochopee, Fla.
President Donald Trump tours "Alligator Alcatraz," a new migrant detention facility at Dade-Collier Training and Transition facility, Tuesday, July 1, 2025, in Ochopee, Fla.
Evan Vucci/AP
The facility is designed to accommodate individuals detained under Florida's expanded immigration enforcement measures. It will hold people arrested by state law enforcement through the federal 287(g) program, as well as those transferred to Florida's custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The facility is operated by the State of Florida through the Division of Emergency Management and takes advantage of the state's declared immigration emergency, which allows for rapid deployment of resources. National Guard units trained under the 287(g) program will help run the site.
The projected cost is about $245 per bed per day, adding up to roughly $450 million in operating expenses for the first year. Florida officials say they plan to seek federal reimbursement from the Department of Homeland Security, which will use FEMA funds.
The idea for "Alligator Alcatraz" originated with Governor Ron DeSantis's administration, which used emergency powers to authorize construction of a new detention center in the Everglades. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier first described the plan publicly during an appearance on Fox News.
Brown bears fishing for salmon on the Moraine River on August 20, 2017 in Katmai National Park, Alaska. The state of Alaska has floated the possibility of detaining migrants in an isolated site surrounded by...
Brown bears fishing for salmon on the Moraine River on August 20, 2017 in Katmai National Park, Alaska. The state of Alaska has floated the possibility of detaining migrants in an isolated site surrounded by bears. More
Getty
It comes after President Donald Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem toured the facility along with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
During the visit, Trump praised the Everglades' remote location and native wildlife as effective deterrents against escape attempts.
The tour comes amid growing backlash from immigrant rights groups and civil liberties organizations, which argue that such facilities pose serious risks to detainee safety and civil rights. The White House, however, has defended the plan as a necessary measure to carry out the president's plans to conduct mass deportations.
What People Are Saying
Tom Homan told NewsNation: "We can simply load a plane right there and take them to their home country. So it's actually ... a cost savings on the beds compared to the last administration. It's extreme cost savings on transportation."
Secretary Noem said in a statement: "Under President Trump's leadership, we are working at turbo speed on cost-effective and innovative ways to deliver on the American people's mandate for mass deportations of criminal illegal aliens. We will expand facilities and bed space in just days, thanks to our partnership with Florida."
Mich González and Katie Blankenship, Founding Partners of Sanctuary of the South, said in a statement shared with Newsweek: "DHS and ICE are spending billions of taxpayer dollars to terrorize our communities and build unnecessary cages that will lead to more premature death and family separation while lining the pockets of the prison industrial complex. Enough is enough! We must come together as a people to stop ICE's campaign of violence and demand what we need—access to healthcare, education, and housing—in short, a dignified life for all our families."
What Happens Next
The facility will be used to detain migrants as the administration ramps up pressure on ICE to remove millions of people as part of the Republican party's hardline mass removal policy.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hill
28 minutes ago
- The Hill
Trump says deal for ceasefire in Gaza is closer after Israel agrees on terms
CAIRO (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump says Israel has agreed on terms for a new 60-day ceasefire with Hamas and that Washington would work with both sides during that time to try to end more than 20 months of war in Gaza. Neither side has accepted the proposal announced Tuesday by Trump, who has admonished Hamas that if the militant group does not buy into the offer, its prospects will get worse. It's not clear what conditions Israel agreed to. The efforts to reach a truce are unfolding in the wake of powerful Israeli and American strikes on nuclear sites in Iran, which has long supported Hamas, and just days before Trump is scheduled to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington. Here's a look at the situation and the challenges it might present. Details of the proposed ceasefire are just beginning to emerge. But rather than being completely new, the potential deal seems to be a somewhat modified version of a framework proposed earlier this year by Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff. Trump said Tuesday in a social media post that Qatar and Egypt have been working on the details and would deliver a final proposal to Hamas. An Egyptian official involved in the ceasefire talks told The Associated Press that the proposal calls for Hamas to release 10 more hostages during the two-month period — eight on the first day and two on the final day. During that period, Israel would withdraw troops from some parts of Gaza and allow badly needed aid into the territory. The war began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking roughly 250 hostages. The group is believed to still have some 50 hostages, with fewer than half of them thought to be alive. The Egyptian official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to reporters, said a sticking point over how aid would be distributed had been resolved with Israel. He said both sides have agreed that the United Nations and the Palestinian Red Crescent would lead aid operations and that the Israeli- and U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Fund would also continue to operate. The unraveling of Iran's regional network of proxies, capped by the blow inflicted on Iran during the recent 12-day war with Israel, has left Hamas weaker and more isolated in the region. Iran was a key backer of the militant group, but its influence has waned, and it's now preoccupied with its own problems. At the same time, Trump has made it clear to Israel that he wants to see the Israel-Hamas war end soon. While he has been supportive of Netanyahu, Trump had tough words for Israel in the opening hours of last week's ceasefire with Iran, when he pressured Israel to scale back its response to an Iranian missile attack. That could help persuade Hamas to embrace a deal. A diplomat briefed on the talks said there is now a 'big opportunity' to reach an agreement. 'The indications we're getting are people are ready.' He said Trump's harsh talk toward Israel has 'given a bit of confidence to Hamas' that the U.S. will guarantee any future deal and prevent a return to fighting. The diplomat spoke on condition of anonymity because he was discussing behind-the-scenes diplomatic contacts. The Egyptian official said Israel has not yet agreed to a proposal to withdraw its forces to positions held in early March after a previous ceasefire officially expired. Since then, the Israeli army has seized large swaths of Gaza to put pressure on Hamas, and it's not clear whether Israel is ready to return to those same positions. An Israeli official characterized the agreement as a 60-day deal that would include a partial Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and a surge in humanitarian aid to the territory. The mediators and the U.S. would provide assurances about talks on ending the war, but Israel is not committing to that as part of the latest proposal, said the official, who was not authorized to discuss the details of the deal with the media and spoke on condition of anonymity. The Egyptian official said Hamas will have to review the proposal with other factions before submitting an official response. One point that does seem to have been ironed out is the question of who will administer Gaza. Israel has said Hamas cannot run the territory, and the Egyptian official said the proposal would instead put Gaza under a group of Palestinians without political affiliations known as the Community Support Committee once a ceasefire is reached. Potentially complicating the effort, Netanyahu reiterated his hard-line position Wednesday, vowing that 'there will be no Hamas' following the 60-day ceasefire plan. A previous ceasefire agreed to in January established three phases, but the two sides never made it past phase one. During that time, however, there were multiple exchanges of Hamas-held hostages for prisoners held by Israel, and critical humanitarian aid was able to reach Gaza. When phase one expired on March 1, Israel sought to extend it while Hamas argued that phase two should go ahead as planned. The second phase would have compelled Hamas to release all the remaining living hostages in exchange for more Palestinian prisoners, a lasting ceasefire and a full Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. That was always seen as difficult, because it would have forced Israel to choose between its two main war goals — the safe return of the hostages and the annihilation of Hamas. On March 18, Israel broke the ceasefire with new airstrikes and resumed hostilities. In Gaza, residents expressed hope that this time, a ceasefire will bring an end to the war. 'We are seriously tired,' said Asmaa al-Gendy, who has been living in a tent camp in Deir al Balah with her two children. The family has been displaced and starved and endured 'every form of torture in the world.' ___ Rising reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Associated Press writers Josef Federman in Jerusalem and Wafaa Shurafa in Deir al Balah, Gaza Strip, contributed to this report.
Car and Driver
36 minutes ago
- Car and Driver
Senate Bill Aims to Reduce Tax on Loan Interest for U.S.-Built Cars
The U.S. Senate passed the One Big Beautiful Bill on Tuesday, which contains a proposed tax deduction for new car loans. The deduction would only apply to cars with final assembly in the United States and doesn't include fleet sales or commercial vehicles. The bill also has provisions to reduce the deductible amount for taxpayers who have an adjusted gross income of more than $100,000. The latest version of the One Big Beautiful Bill contains a provision that aims to reduce thousands of dollars in interest on new car loans for taxpayers. The United States Senate passed the tax and policy bill on Tuesday, sending it back to the House of Representatives for final approval, which President Donald Trump wants to happen before July 4. Along with accelerating the removal of federal EV tax credits, the act contains a section titled "No Tax on Car Loan Interest." The proposed deduction isn't as straightforward as that title, however, with a number of caveats. The biggest qualifier is that the vehicle being purchased "shall not include any vehicle the final assembly of which did not occur within the United States," according to the currently available text of the bill. This requirement that the car be built in the U.S. ties in with President Trump's goal to increase domestic automotive manufacturing, which he has so far attempted to instigate through hefty tariffs on imported vehicles. While some automakers have since invested in increased U.S. production, many popular vehicles are still produced overseas and imported into the United States. NurPhoto | Getty Images The bill also states that applicable vehicles are those that are "manufactured primarily for use on public streets, roads, and highways" and are "a car, minivan, van, sport utility vehicle, pickup truck, or motorcycle." The vehicle must have a gross vehicle weight rating of under 14,000 pounds, and the loan cannot be for fleet sales or "a commercial vehicle that is not used for personal purposes." The bill also excludes loans to finance vehicles with a salvage title or vehicles that are going to be used for parts. There are also exceptions based on the income of the taxpayer who is leasing the vehicle. The deductible amount will be reduced by $200 for every $1000 that the adjusted gross income of the taxpayers exceeds $100,000. For jointly filed tax returns, the threshold is $200,000 of income. The proposal also covers a maximum of $10,000 in interest for each taxable year. According to the , the only buyers who could receive the maximum deduction are those with new car loans of $110,000 or higher. The publication quoted Jonathan Smoke, an economist at market research firm Cox Automotive, who said that just one percent of loans in the U.S. are over that mark. Instead, the average car loan is around $43,000, with Smoke telling the Times that average buyers will be see a $3000 reduction in the first year of a six-year loan, although most buyers would only receive a roughly $500 reduction in the first year, and that the amount would shrink with each subsequent year. The bill still needs to be approved by the House before it can be signed into law by the president, and President Trump has expressed a desire to pass the bill by July 4. Caleb Miller Associate News Editor Caleb Miller began blogging about cars at 13 years old, and he realized his dream of writing for a car magazine after graduating from Carnegie Mellon University and joining the Car and Driver team. He loves quirky and obscure autos, aiming to one day own something bizarre like a Nissan S-Cargo, and is an avid motorsports fan.
Yahoo
39 minutes ago
- Yahoo
What We Know As US, Vietnam Said To Reach Trade Deal
President Donald Trump said he had reached a trade deal with Vietnam following weeks of intense diplomacy between the nations and ahead of a deadline next week that would have seen higher tariffs imposed on the country's imports. Bloomberg's Derek Wallbank breaks down what we know so far. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
