What is ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ and how much will it cost Florida to operate?
Florida is advancing a contentious migrant detention facility in the Everglades, named ‘Alligator Alcatraz.’
Florida is moving ahead with a new project, a remote migrant detention facility in the heart of the Everglades, ‘Alligator Alcatraz.’ Built on a disused airfield and surrounded by some of the most dangerous wildlife in the U.S., this facility is part of the Trump administration’s sweeping crackdown on undocumented immigration.
“People [detained migrants] get out, there’s not much waiting for them other than alligators and pythons. Nowhere to go, nowhere to hide,” Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier declared in an X video. “It presents an efficient, low-cost opportunity... because you don’t need to invest that much in the perimeter.”
How much does Florida have to bear?
The center, made up largely of massive tents, is expected to cost Florida around $450 million a year to operate. Tricia McLaughlin, the spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, said the state will likely seek some financial reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to offset this staggering annual cost.
Donald Trump's close ally, Uthmeier, has been a vocal supporter of turning this remote corner of the state into a secure detention hub. He claims that the facility’s isolated location, surrounded by alligators, snakes, and other Everglades wildlife, makes it naturally secure.
“Florida’s been leading on immigration enforcement,” Uthmeier touted. “The governor tasked state leaders to identify places for new temporary detention facilities. I think this is the best one.”
Interestingly, a spokesperson for Uthmeier confirmed that construction began on Monday morning.
Notably, during his first term, Trump floated the idea of building a moat filled with alligators or snakes along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Since returning to the office, the POTUS has already sent some migrants to Guantánamo Bay and even to a megaprison in El Salvador.
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“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,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement.
Currently, roughly 55,000 migrants are being detained under Trump’s administration, a jump from the approximately 40,000 who were held during the final months of the Biden presidency.
