President Trump has expressed support for expanding facilities similar to Florida’s “Alligator Alcatraz,” a controversial migrant detention center located at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport in the Everglades. During his visit to the facility on July 1, 2025, Trump described it as a model for other detention sites, highlighting its remote location and natural barriers like alligators and pythons as cost-effective security measures. He indicated that states like Louisiana and Alabama are already working on similar facilities, with construction reportedly underway.
The “Alligator Alcatraz” facility, backed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, is designed to support Trump’s mass deportation agenda, with a capacity for up to 5,000 detainees and an estimated annual cost of $450 million, partially funded by FEMA. Trump’s remarks suggest he sees such facilities as a blueprint for expanding detention capacity nationwide, emphasizing their efficiency and deterrent effect due to the harsh surrounding environment.
However, the concept has faced significant pushback. Environmental groups, like Friends of the Everglades, argue it threatens the delicate Everglades ecosystem, home to endangered species like the Florida panther. Native American groups, including the Miccosukee and Seminole, oppose the facility, citing its location on sacred ancestral lands. Critics, including human rights advocates and Democrats like Representative Maxwell Frost, have called the facility inhumane, pointing to the extreme conditions and lack of adequate infrastructure, such as medical services, in the temporary tent-based setup. A federal lawsuit filed by environmental groups seeks to halt construction, alleging violations of the Endangered Species Act.
While Trump and supporters like DeSantis frame these facilities as a practical solution for immigration enforcement, opponents argue they prioritize political spectacle over humanitarian and environmental considerations. The debate remains polarized, with no confirmed plans for specific additional states beyond Louisiana and Alabama, though DeSantis hinted at exploring similar sites, like Camp Blanding in Florida.