COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. — Florida's attorney general announced Monday that the federal government has approved “Alligator Alcatraz” — a 5,000-bed immigration detention center in the Everglades.
Attorney General James Uthmeier said temporary tents and trailers will be set up in less than two weeks.
WATCH WPTV'S COVERAGE BELOW:
WPTV reporter Michael Hoffman sorted through the details — and the pushback from the mayor of Miami-Dade County.
In a 37-page "Immigration Enforcement" plan released in May, Florida asked ICE to ease up on its detention standards, writing, “Waiving select requirements would significantly increase the state’s capacity to detain individuals.”
READ BELOW: Immigration Enforcement Plan
Now, it seems Florida has come up with a plan to make that happen with what the Attorney General calls, “Alligator Alcatraz.”
Located on 30 square miles in the Everglades,
Uthmeier said the federal government has approved a plan for a 5,000-bed immigration detention facility.
Uthmeier made the announcement Monday on a conservative podcast, saying “Alligator Alcatraz” will temporarily utilize an abandoned airfield at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport.
“We’ll have some light infrastructure, a lot of heavy-duty tent and trailer facilities,” said Uthmeier. "We don’t have to build a lot of brick-and-mortar. We’ll detain, deport, and get people out of this country.”
Last week, the Florida attorney general said the remoteness of the location with be an asset to security.
“If people get out,” Uthmeier said. "There’s not much waiting for them, other than alligators and pythons. Nowhere to go, nowhere to hide.”
The property is owned by Dade and Collier counties.
Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office on Monday sent WPTV a letter of intent that said the state wants to purchase the land from Miami-Dade County for $20 million.
The mayor of Miami-Dade County responded in a letter, saying the site should be valued closer to $200 million. She expressed concerns about public safety and the environment.
Environmental groups have also criticized the idea.
“Floridians want our public lands, our natural places, our water, to be protected — not to be more impacted,” said Eve Samples, executive director of the Friends of the Everglades.
WPTV reporter Michael Hoffman asked the Department of Homeland Security about the timeline for getting “Alligator Alcatraz” up and running in two weeks.
DHS responded with the following statement:
“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. We will expand facilities and bed space in just days, thanks to our partnership with Florida. These new facilities will in large part be funded by FEMA’s Shelter and Services Program, which the Biden Administration used 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.”
WPTV is still pushing for answers to several questions:
- Will the land be sold?
- How will the property be paid for?
- What policies will be implemented to ensure the safety of workers and migrants?
The Attorney General says the facility will house undocumented migrants from Florida and across the country — and it will open the first week of July.
Hoffman reached out to the AG’s office about the plan, and they gave us the following statement:
“I’m proud to help support President Trump and Secretary Noem in their mission to fix our illegal immigration problem once and for all. Alligator Alcatraz and other Florida facilities will do just that. We in Florida will fight alongside this administration to keep Florida safe, strong, and free.”
