Florida’s Attorney General pitches remote swamp airfield as ideal, inescapable detention site for 5,000 migrants.
The Trump administration has officially greenlit the funding of a project in Florida’s Everglades, aiming to transform an abandoned airfield into a massive migrant detention facility. Dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz” by Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, the facility is designed to capitalize on its remote, swamp-surrounded location to prevent escapes.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed Monday night on X that the facility would be largely financed through FEMA’s Shelter and Services Program.
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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,” Noem stated, adding, “We will expand facilities and bed space in just days, thanks to our partnership with Florida.”
Noem contrasted this policy shift with the previous administration, alleging that the Biden White House used FEMA funds for “illegal migrant housing at posh accommodations like the Roosevelt Hotel,” which she claimed sheltered “Laken Riley’s killer and other migrant gang members.”
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, the architect of the “Alligator Alcatraz” concept, has championed the site’s unique characteristics.
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“People get out. There’s not much waiting for them other than alligators and pythons. Nowhere to go, nowhere to hide,” Uthmeier previously remarked. He further elaborated on NewsNation’s Morning in America that the 39-square-mile Miami Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport site is “ideal” due to its existing infrastructure, including an 11,000-foot runway for large aircraft, and natural barriers.
“We have thousands of arrests taking place in the state. So jails are filling up. We’re going to need some new detention sites,” Uthmeier explained, asserting that the abandoned airport provides “a great opportunity with a perimeter essentially already established by nature, so you don’t have to spend a lot of money on the perimeter because once you’re there, there’s nowhere to go, nowhere to hide.”
Construction of the facility, which will consist of large tents and other temporary structures, commenced on Monday. The New York Times reports that the annual operating cost is estimated at $450 million, with the capacity to house 5,000 migrants and other foreign nationals under federal immigration detention.
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Uthmeier affirmed the seriousness of the proposal, stating, “Florida is leading and helping the Trump administration to enforce against illegal immigration.” He noted Florida’s proactive approach, including being the “first state to have all of our state law enforcement and county sheriffs certified under 287(g),” a federal authority that deputizes local law enforcement to perform immigration functions.
The Attorney General also addressed his recent civil contempt citation from a federal judge concerning a partial block on a new Florida immigration law. Uthmeier defended his actions, stating he “took an oath to the Constitution, to rule of law,” and is willing to pay the price for “standing on principle.” He expressed no concern about setting a precedent, criticizing judges who “are not following the law” and “want to push policy.”
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