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DeSantis slams Democrats after new 'Alligator Alcatraz' lawsuit filed, says facility 'very professionally run'

'I've never seen these Democrats fight this hard for the people of Florida,' governor claims

WPTV

Gov. Ron DeSantis spoke to WPTV during an event in Indiantown on July 11, 2025, to share his thoughts on the conditions at Alligator Alcatraz and a lawsuit filed by Florida Democrats.

By: Scott Sutton

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INDIANTOWN, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis is pushing back on a new lawsuit filed this week by Florida Democrats related to the recent opening and conditions at "Alligator Alcatraz," an immigrant detention facility in the Everglades.

Five Florida lawmakers filed a lawsuit Thursday after they were denied entry to the facility to inspect the state-run immigrant detention center known as "Alligator Alcatraz," located at the Dade-Collier Training & Transition Airport.

The governor was in Indiantown on Friday for an event related to a new development, Terra Lago, under construction in Martin County.

WATCH BELOW: Gov. DeSantis tells WPTV 'Alligator Alcatraz' is 'very professionally-run'

Gov. DeSantis tells WPTV 'Alligator Alcatraz' is 'very professionally-run'

However, WPTV reporter Tyler Hatfield caught up with DeSantis as he was leaving the event to get his thoughts on "Alligator Alcatraz" and the new lawsuit.

As public pressure grows, Florida officials announced early this week they are offering a limited tour of the facility to lawmakers on Saturday, but not to the media or their staff. DeSantis called the new lawsuit "frivolous" and "ridiculous."

"They don't have a right to win (the case) even if we didn't grant access (to 'Alligator Alcatraz') because they're misapplying statutes," DeSantis told WPTV. "They should be sanctioned by the court for abusing the legal system. .. They're posturing politically."

The governor also has strong words for Democrats, saying they "care more about illegal aliens than they do about American citizens."

"I've never seen these Democrats fight this hard for the people of Florida," DeSantis said. "I've never seen them fight this hard for U.S. citizens."

DeSantis said that "Alligator Alcatraz" is a "very professionally-run facility" where "all the standards" that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has are being "exceeded."

He pushed back on criticism regarding that "someone got bitten by a mosquito."

"It's South Florida. This is not the Four Seasons," DeSantis said. "It is a professional processing center to effectuate the deportation of illegal aliens."

Hatfield asked the governor about the criticism of the infrastructure and water availability at the Everglades detention facility.

"Give me a break. First of all, what's the plumbing going to be like in their home country? What are the bugs going to be like in their home country? Give me a break on some of this stuff," DeSantis said.

He said DHS will "very soon" begin flights out of the facility to deport people.

"Any time someone, an illegal alien, is brought to that facility, DHS gives them a brochure at the start," DeSantis said. "DHS will pay for you to just return home, so no one has to go to 'Alligator Alcatraz.' If you take DHS up on their offer, they will send you, at federal taxpayer expense, back to your home country. ... A lot of these folks have not been willing to do."

DEMOCRATS CALL WEEKEND EVENT 'STAGED, SCRIPTED'

Democratic lawmakers said they plan to attend Saturday's event but called it a "staged, scripted, and sanitized tour." They said they intend to return to the facility "unannounced for true oversight."

The 33-page lawsuit filed by Democrats contends that the denial to visit Alligator Alcatraz "not only violates state law but also the Florida Constitution, by eroding the separation of powers, improperly restricting the authority of a co-equal branch of government."

In a statement, the Democrats called the detention center "tantamount to a modern-day concentration camp."

Read the Democrats' full lawsuit below:

Environmental groups filed a separate lawsuit in federal court last month seeking to halt the project until an environmental review was conducted.

DeSantis posted on his X account that he was also in Indiantown to deliver "the latest in a series of state contributions to water quality infrastructure to the region," posing with a $22.5 million check payable to the Village of Indiantown.