Latest news with #FDEM
Canada News.Net
6 days ago
- Politics
- Canada News.Net
Plans advance for new immigration site in northern Florida
TALLAHASSEE, Florida: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' administration appears to be moving forward with plans to build a second immigration detention center in the state. Official records show that the state has already awarded at least one contract for what's being called the "North Detention Facility." This new site would add to the capacity of Florida's first immigration detention facility, which was built on an isolated airfield deep in the Florida Everglades. That original site, known informally as "Alligator Alcatraz," officially opened on July 1. So far, the state has signed contracts worth more than US$245 million to construct and operate the Everglades facility. The second detention center is being planned at Camp Blanding, a Florida National Guard training area located about 27 miles southwest of downtown Jacksonville. However, Governor DeSantis has said construction won't begin until federal immigration authorities increase the number of deportations coming from the Everglades facility. The Everglades Center has faced intense criticism and legal challenges from civil rights organizations and environmental groups. Detainees have reported being held without charges, denied access to attorneys, and suffering from a lack of adequate food and medical care. Many have also been unable to bring their cases before federal immigration courts. Despite these concerns, the facility has been praised by President Donald Trump, who described its remote location and harsh conditions as suitable for what he called "the worst of the worst" immigrants. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has also expressed support, saying the center could serve as a model for similar facilities in other states. Recently, Florida's Division of Emergency Management (FDEM), the agency responsible for building and managing the detention centers, awarded a $39,000 contract for a portable emergency weather station and two lightning warning systems for the new "North Detention Facility." The equipment is intended to help monitor weather in real time and alert staff to dangerous conditions, especially important as Florida heads into the peak of hurricane season. Parts of the state have already been hit by extreme heat and heavy rains. Environmentalists and immigrant rights groups have raised concerns about the Everglades facility's vulnerability to storms and flooding. The site consists mainly of large tents and trailers that state workers and private contractors quickly assembled. In response to growing scrutiny, FDEM released a heavily censored draft of an emergency evacuation plan for the Everglades site, now referred to as the "South Florida Detention Facility." Large sections of the document—especially those detailing how detainees would be transported or relocated during an emergency—were blacked out. Florida law allows state agencies to keep such emergency plans confidential, and the department has not responded to multiple requests for other related documents, such as evacuation protocols, environmental reviews, or internal risk assessments. When asked about the facility's safety at a press conference on July 25, FDEM Executive Director Kevin Guthrie defended the state's approach. He claimed the site is strong enough to withstand a Category 2 hurricane, which can bring winds up to 110 miles per hour.
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘Alligator Alcatraz': What to know about Florida Everglades migrant detention site
The Trump administration and Florida leaders are moving forward with a plan to build a detention facility on a remote site nestled in the state's swampy Everglades to hold undocumented migrants awaiting deportation. The site, dubbed 'Alligator Alcatraz,' could open with soft-sided holding units for hundreds of detainees in the coming days through a partnership where the federal government will provide funding and the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) will oversee the build out and management. Additional holding units will be added through next month, under the agreement. The facility is projected to cost about $450 million a year, which will come from the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Shelter and Services Program that was used to house asylum-seekers during the Biden administration. '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,' Department Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement this week. 'We will expand facilities and bed space in just days, thanks to our partnership with Florida.' The DHS-approved plans will allow the new Florida facility to hold immigrants arrested in the Sunshine State, as well as transfers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers. The Florida state flag waving along with the USA flag. (Getty Images) Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis's (R) administration pitched the partnership to the federal government in a 37-page 'Immigration Enforcement Operations Plan' earlier this year outlining the state's requests for reimbursements and looser restrictions on addressing unauthorized immigration. 'Governor DeSantis has insisted that the state of Florida, under his leadership, will facilitate the federal government in enforcing immigration law,' the governor's office said in a statement to The Hill. 'Utilizing this space and/or others around the state, Florida will continue to lead in immigration enforcement.' In the partnership proposal, Florida officials noted that the state's 'geographic position, ambient culture, and the confluence of three major interstate highways (I-10, I-75 and I-95) have made it attractive to criminal organizations smuggling everything from aliens to drugs to guns and money.' A July 2024 Pew Research Center report on unauthorized immigrant communities in the U.S. found that Florida's swelled by at least 400,000 people from 2019 to 2022 — more than any other state in the country — and estimate its total undocumented migrant population at about 1.2 million. The Florida proposal argued 'the nature and vast scope of the illegal alien presence deserves a rethinking of detention processes and standards' and urged the Trump administration to waive some ICE detention standards. Isolated Everglades airfield outside Miami that Florida officials said an immigration detention facility dubbed 'Alligator Alcatraz' is just days away from being operational. (Courtesy of the Office of Attorney General James Uthmeier via AP) The Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport, located in Ochopee, Fla. — about 36 miles south of Miami — is owned by the Miami-Dade County government. The nearly 40-square-mile site was first developed in the late 1960s with plans to become a major hub, but the project fizzled because of environmental concerns, leaving just a single strip that has been used as a training site and for rare general aviation needs. Florida officials touted the strip as a benefit because it will allow migrants to be flown into and out of the holding facility without much disruption. In a video coining the site a potential 'Alligator Alcatraz,' Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier (R) highlighted its remote location as a bonus. 'People get out, there's not much waiting for them other than alligators and pythons —nowhere to go, nowhere to hide,' Uthmeier said in a video shared on social platform X. 'Within just 30 to 60 days after we begin construction, it could be up and running and could house as many as 1,000 criminal aliens.' Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier speaks at the Florida Capitol in Tallahassee, Fla., on March 5, 2025. FDEM initially offered to buy the Dade-Collier Airport from Miami-Dade County, but DeSantis's administration couldn't reach an agreement with local leaders on the price, so the state instead moved to take it over, using the governor's emergency authority. FDEM executive director Kevin Guthrie wrote in a letter to Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava (D) on Monday that the agency would 'begin immediate utilization of the improved area of the site, as I now deem it necessary to meet the Division's currentoperational demands in coping with the emergency.' 'Time is of the essence,' Guthrie wrote. 'We must act swiftly to ensure readiness and continuity in our statewide operations to assist the federal government with immigration enforcement.' The director added that the state would maintain control of the site as long as DeSantis's state emergency declaration over immigration remains in effect. DeSantis's initial declaration was issued in June 2023, citing 'mass migration of unauthorized aliens, including the associated abandonment of vessels, without appropriate support from the federal government, [that] has created an unmanageable strain on local resources and will continue to overburden the capabilities of local governments throughout the state.' He has renewed the order in 60-day intervals, as required under Florida law, in the months that followed. The most recent extension was issued June 3 and will expire Aug. 2, unless it is again extended. Miami Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava speaks Wednesday, June 11, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier) Levine Cava, who has been the Miami-Dade mayor since 2020, told The Hill in a statement that she's concerned that state government is moving too fast on the project without fully evaluating its impact. 'We understand that state agencies under the Governor's direction have broad authority to take action under declared states of emergency, but the rapid pace of this effort has provided little opportunity for due diligence given the potential significant impacts to our community,' she said. The mayor highlighted the potential environmental harm the facility could have on the surrounding Everglades. 'The state of Florida, alongside the federal government, has invested billions of dollars – including $6.5 billion under Governor DeSantis's leadership – in Everglades restoration, given the critical importance of the Everglades not only to our environment and clean drinking water, but as the bedrock foundation of our state's $1 trillion tourism economy,' Levine Cava continued. 'The Governor's office has stated 'operations on site will be completely self-contained,' but we continue to have concerns about how a facility at this scale can operate without impacts to the surrounding ecosystem.' She also pointed out the state initially offered to purchase the property for $20 million, which is about a 10th of the value according to the most recent property appraisal. 'Given financial strain the County is facing, in part due to continued pressure from proposed state budget reductions and demands on local revenue, it is critical that we maximize the value of all taxpayer assets on behalf of our residents,' the mayor wrote. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
25-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
‘Alligator Alcatraz': What to know about Florida Everglades migrant detention site
The Trump administration and Florida leaders are moving forward with a plan to build a detention facility on a remote site nestled in the state's swampy Everglades to hold undocumented migrants awaiting deportation. The site, dubbed 'Alligator Alcatraz,' could open with soft-sided holding units for hundreds of detainees in the coming days through a partnership where the federal government will provide funding and the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) will oversee the build out and management. Additional holding units will be added through next month, under the agreement. The facility is projected to cost about $450 million a year, which will come from the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Shelter and Services Program that was used to house asylum-seekers during the Biden administration. '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,' Department Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement this week. 'We will expand facilities and bed space in just days, thanks to our partnership with Florida.' The DHS-approved plans will allow the new Florida facility to hold immigrants arrested in the Sunshine State, as well as transfers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers. The Florida state flag waving along with the USA flag. (Getty Images) Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis's (R) administration pitched the partnership to the federal government in a 37-page 'Immigration Enforcement Operations Plan' earlier this year outlining the state's requests for reimbursements and looser restrictions on addressing unauthorized immigration. 'Governor DeSantis has insisted that the state of Florida, under his leadership, will facilitate the federal government in enforcing immigration law,' the governor's office said in a statement to The Hill. 'Utilizing this space and/or others around the state, Florida will continue to lead in immigration enforcement.' In the partnership proposal, Florida officials noted that the state's 'geographic position, ambient culture, and the confluence of three major interstate highways (I-10, I-75 and I-95) have made it attractive to criminal organizations smuggling everything from aliens to drugs to guns and money.' A July 2024 Pew Research Center report on unauthorized immigrant communities in the U.S. found that Florida's swelled by at least 400,000 people from 2019 to 2022 — more than any other state in the country — and estimate its total undocumented migrant population at about 1.2 million. The Florida proposal argued 'the nature and vast scope of the illegal alien presence deserves a rethinking of detention processes and standards' and urged the Trump administration to waive some ICE detention standards. Isolated Everglades airfield outside Miami that Florida officials said an immigration detention facility dubbed 'Alligator Alcatraz' is just days away from being operational. (Courtesy of the Office of Attorney General James Uthmeier via AP) The Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport, located in Ochopee, Fla. — about 36 miles south of Miami — is owned by the Miami-Dade County government. The nearly 40-square-mile site was first developed in the late 1960s with plans to become a major hub, but the project fizzled because of environmental concerns, leaving just a single strip that has been used as a training site and for rare general aviation needs. Florida officials touted the strip as a benefit because it will allow migrants to be flown into and out of the holding facility without much disruption. In a video coining the site a potential 'Alligator Alcatraz,' Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier (R) highlighted its remote location as a bonus. 'People get out, there's not much waiting for them other than alligators and pythons —nowhere to go, nowhere to hide,' Uthmeier said in a video shared on social platform X. 'Within just 30 to 60 days after we begin construction, it could be up and running and could house as many as 1,000 criminal aliens.' Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier speaks at the Florida Capitol in Tallahassee, Fla., on March 5, 2025. FDEM initially offered to buy the Dade-Collier Airport from Miami-Dade County, but DeSantis's administration couldn't reach an agreement with local leaders on the price, so the state instead moved to take it over, using the governor's emergency authority. FDEM executive director Kevin Guthrie wrote in a letter to Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava (D) on Monday that the agency would 'begin immediate utilization of the improved area of the site, as I now deem it necessary to meet the Division's currentoperational demands in coping with the emergency.' 'Time is of the essence,' Guthrie wrote. 'We must act swiftly to ensure readiness and continuity in our statewide operations to assist the federal government with immigration enforcement.' The director added that the state would maintain control of the site as long as DeSantis's state emergency declaration over immigration remains in effect. DeSantis's initial declaration was issued in June 2023, citing 'mass migration of unauthorized aliens, including the associated abandonment of vessels, without appropriate support from the federal government, [that] has created an unmanageable strain on local resources and will continue to overburden the capabilities of local governments throughout the state.' He has renewed the order in 60-day intervals, as required under Florida law, in the months that followed. The most recent extension was issued June 3 and will expire Aug. 2, unless it is again extended. Miami Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava speaks Wednesday, June 11, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier) Levine Cava, who has been the Miami-Dade mayor since 2020, told The Hill in a statement that she's concerned that state government is moving too fast on the project without fully evaluating its impact. 'We understand that state agencies under the Governor's direction have broad authority to take action under declared states of emergency, but the rapid pace of this effort has provided little opportunity for due diligence given the potential significant impacts to our community,' she said. The mayor highlighted the potential environmental harm the facility could have on the surrounding Everglades. 'The state of Florida, alongside the federal government, has invested billions of dollars – including $6.5 billion under Governor DeSantis's leadership – in Everglades restoration, given the critical importance of the Everglades not only to our environment and clean drinking water, but as the bedrock foundation of our state's $1 trillion tourism economy,' Levine Cava continued. 'The Governor's office has stated 'operations on site will be completely self-contained,' but we continue to have concerns about how a facility at this scale can operate without impacts to the surrounding ecosystem.' She also pointed out the state initially offered to purchase the property for $20 million, which is about a 10th of the value according to the most recent property appraisal. 'Given financial strain the County is facing, in part due to continued pressure from proposed state budget reductions and demands on local revenue, it is critical that we maximize the value of all taxpayer assets on behalf of our residents,' the mayor wrote.
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump administration eyes ‘Alligator Alcatraz' for migrant detentions
The Trump administration is expediting plans for a new Florida detention site for immigrants lacking permanent legal status and awaiting deportation by tapping into funds that had been set aside to house asylum-seekers during the Biden administration. '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,' Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement. 'We will expand facilities and bed space in just days, thanks to our partnership with Florida.' Noem said the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will use money from the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Shelter and Services Program to build out the Miami-area project, which has been dubbed 'Alligator Alcatraz,' through the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM). Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is backing the plan, and on Monday his administration moved to take over the proposed property after failing to reach an agreement with local officials over costs. 'Governor DeSantis has insisted that the state of Florida, under his leadership, will facilitate the federal government in enforcing immigration law,' the governor's office said in a statement to The Hill, outlining DHS's approval of federal funding for the project. 'Florida will continue to lead on immigration enforcement.' FDEM Director Kevin Guthrie wrote in a letter to Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava (D) that the state would begin immediately using the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport under the governor's emergency powers authority. 'Time is of the essence,' he wrote. 'We must act swiftly to ensure readiness and continuity in our statewide operations to assist the federal government with immigration enforcement.' Levine Cava's office didn't immediately respond to The Hill's request for comment. Under the DHS's approved plans, the FDEM is expected to build and manage the facility, which will be used for immigrants arrested in the Sunshine State and for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) transfers. An initial temporary site could open in days for hundreds of detainees, with expansions through July. When opened, the facility is projected to cost about $450 million a year. Noem accused former President Biden of using the FEMA fund 'as a piggy bank to spend hundreds of millions of American taxpayer dollars to house illegal aliens, including at the Roosevelt Hotel that served as a Tren de Aragua base of operations that was used to shelter Laken Riley's killer.' Venezuelan immigrant José Antonio Ibarra, 26, was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison last fall for killing Riley, a 22-year-old Georgia nursing student. Ibarra's former roommate testified during his trial that Ibarra lived at the taxpayer-funded migrant shelter at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City before moving to Georgia. FEMA funds were given to New York City Mayor Eric Adams's immigrant housing program, which included the shuttered midtown Manhattan hotel, to accommodate the influx of thousands of asylum-seekers following the COVID-19 outbreak and Biden's election. Trump kicked off a sweeping immigration crackdown shortly after returning to the White House in January that prioritized deportations and eliminated funding for housing services for migrants. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier pitched the idea last week of detaining immigrants in the country illegally at an unused 39-square-mile site near the Everglades and coined it as a potential 'Alligator Alcatraz.' 'People get out, there's not much waiting for them other than alligators and pythons —nowhere to go, nowhere to hide,' he said in a video touting the swampy site on the social platform X. 'Within just 30 to 60 days after we begin construction, it could be up and running and could house as many as 1,000 criminal aliens.' Uthmeier's office didn't immediately respond to The Hill's request for comment on the DHS's update. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
24-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Trump administration eyes ‘Alligator Alcatraz' for migrant detentions
The Trump administration is expediting plans for a new Florida detention site for undocumented migrants awaiting deportation by tapping into funds that had been set aside to house asylum seekers during the Biden administration. '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,' Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement. 'We will expand facilities and bed space in just days, thanks to our partnership with Florida.' Noem said the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will use money from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)'s Shelter and Services Program to build out the Miami-area project, which has been dubbed 'Alligator Alcatraz,' through the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM). Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is backing the plan and on Monday his administration moved to take over the proposed property after failing to reach an agreement with local officials over costs. 'Governor DeSantis has insisted that the state of Florida, under his leadership, will facilitate the federal government in enforcing immigration law,' the governor's office said in a statement to The Hill, outlining DHS's approval of federal funding for the project. 'Florida will continue to lead on immigration enforcement.' FDEM director Kevin Guthrie wrote in a letter to Miami-Dade Mayor Levine Cava (D) that the state would begin immediately using the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport under the governor's emergency powers authority. 'Time is of the essence,' he wrote. 'We must act swiftly to ensure readiness and continuity in our statewide operations to assist the federal government with immigration enforcement.' Cava's office didn't immediately respond to The Hill's request for comment. Under DHS's approved plans, the FDEM is expected to build and manage the facility, which will be used for migrants arrested in the Sunshine State and U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) transfers. An initial temporary site could open in days for hundreds of detainees, with expansions through July. When running, the facility is projected to cost about $450 million a year. Noem accused former President Biden of using the FEMA fund 'as a piggy bank to spend hundreds of millions of American taxpayer dollars to house illegal aliens, including at the Roosevelt Hotel that served as a Tren de Aragua base of operations that was used to shelter Laken Riley's killer.' Venezuelan migrant José Antonio Ibarra, 26, was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison last fall for killing Riley, a 22-year-old Georgia nursing student. Ibarra's former roommate testified during his trial that Ibarra lived at the taxpayer-funded migrant shelter at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City before moving to Georgia. FEMA funds were given to New York Mayor Eric Adam's migrant housing program, which included the shuttered midtown Manhattan hotel, to accommodate the influx of thousands of asylum-seekers following the COVID-19 outbreak and Biden's election. Trump kicked off a sweeping immigration crackdown shortly after returning to the White House in January that prioritized deportations and eliminated funding for housing services for migrants. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier pitched the idea last week of detaining undocumented migrants at an unused 39-square-mile site near the Everglades and coined it as a potential 'Alligator Alcatraz.' 'People get out, there's not much waiting for them other than alligators and pythons —nowhere to go, nowhere to hide,' he said in a video touting the swampy site on the social platform X. 'Within just 30 to 60 days after we begin construction, it could be up and running and could house as many as 1,000 criminal aliens.' Uthmeier's office didn't immediately respond to The Hill's request for comment on DHS's update.
