Trump Makes Cruel Joke About ‘Alligator Alcatraz' Immigrant Escapees
While speaking with the press ahead of visiting the controversial Florida facility, Trump was asked if the idea was that detainees would be eaten by alligators should they try to escape.
Trump responded, 'I guess that's the concept. This is not a nice business. I guess that is the concept.'
The facility, which has been backed by the Florida state government and Department of Homeland Security and quickly constructed in just weeks, is expected to hold as many as 5,000 beds.
The president then joked that immigrants will need to learn how to run away from alligators if they escape from the remote Everglades location that's surrounded by predators.
'Snakes are fast but alligators — we're going to teach them how to run away from an alligator. ... Don't run in a straight line, run like this,' he said while making a zigzag motion with his hands. 'You know what, your chances go up about 1%.'
Meanwhile, environmentalists, immigration advocates and Indigenous groups have lined up along highways in the Florida Everglades to protest the site's development and the forthcoming detention center.
'We don't want this prison here,' protester Phyllis Andrews told WPTV Tuesday morning. 'There's no reason for this prison here.'
Demonstrator Kailani Osceola called the facility 'just awful,' telling the outlet, 'They're gonna hurt the habitat, the animals, and we're just fighting for the immigrants.'
Watch Trump's comments about 'Alligator Alcatraz' below.
Doocy: With Alliagator Alcatraz, is the idea that if some illegal immigrant escapes, they just get eaten by an alligator?Trump: I guess that's the concept. Snakes are fast but alligators— we're going to teach them how to run away from an alligator. Don't run in a straight line,… pic.twitter.com/xnGTUTALDr
— Acyn (@Acyn) July 1, 2025
'A Human Rights Disaster Waiting To Happen': 'Alligator Alcatraz' Is Ripe For Abuse, Experts Warn
Karoline Leavitt's Giddy 'Alligator Alcatraz' Pitch Sends Shivers Down Critics' Spines
Trump Talks Alcatraz And There's No Escaping His Wild 'Drivel' Answer
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