Alligator Alcatraz

Alligator Alcatraz

Donald Trump touring Alligator Alcatraz on July 1, 2025
Location in the United States Show map of the United States Location in Florida Show map of Florida
Location	Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport, Big Cypress National Preserve, Ochopee, Florida, U.S.
Coordinates	25°51′42″N 080°53′49″W / 25.86167°N 80.89694°W / 25.86167; -80.89694
Status	Operational
Security class	Immigration detention center
Capacity	2,000,[1] up to 5,000 (projected)[2]
Opened	July 3, 2025
Managed by	Florida Division of Emergency Management in partnership with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security

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Alligator Alcatraz,^[2] formally known as the South Florida Detention Facility,^[1] is an immigration detention facility located at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport inside Big Cypress National Preserve in Ochopee, Florida, United States.

Announced in June 2025 by the attorney general of Florida, James Uthmeier, and backed by the governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis,^[3] the facility has been subjected to lawsuits filed by environmental groups,^[4] civil liberties groups, the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians, and members of the Democratic Party, with criticisms generally focused on its environmental impact^[5] and the conditions faced by its detainees.^[6] Members of the Republican Party, including DeSantis,^[7] have defended the facility, arguing it will help the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to cope with the deportation policy of the federal government.^[8]. Florida Representative Anna Eskamani and State Senator Shevrin Jones joined lawmakers in suing DeSantis in order to visit the site. The Democrates deplored the sanitary conditions, Eskamani stating that the detention camp is “a political stunt with environmental damage and everyday lives being harmed. It needs to close immediately.”^[9] Rodolfo Ruiz, a U.S. district judge, has requested all written agreements and contracts showing who has legal custody of the hundreds of detainees.^[10]

The facility is estimated to cost US$450 million a year to operate,^[11] with each bed expected to cost $245 a day, more than the average estimated daily cost of detention of $187 for ICE.^[12] In addition to operating costs, the Florida Division of Emergency Management and the governor's office hand out construction contracts with little to no regulatory oversight, bypassing procurement and competitive bidding rules. One key beneficiary is IRG Global Emergency Management, who gave $10,000 to Florida’s Republican Party on June 24, 2025, before receiving a $1.1 million contract for "operational support services in support of migration efforts in the State”, followed by two more contracts with Florida, totalling over $5 million, for site shuttles, armory systems, on-site emergency services and air operations at the Ochopee site.^[13] IRG is an offshoot of Access Restoration Services US, Inc., a major campaign donor to DeSantis and totalling nearly $400,000 in donations to Republican coffers.^[14]

The moniker alludes to both the local American alligator population and the former maximum-security Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary.

In August 2015, during his 2016 presidential campaign, Donald Trump proposed mass deportation as a part of his immigration policy.^[15] Trump has called for "huge camps"^[16] where migrants would be held in internment camps prior to deportation.^[17] Federal funding for the policy was voted by the U.S. Senate budget reconciliation bill on July 1, 2025, which includes $45 billion for immigration detention centers, a 265% increase to ICE’s annual detention budget.^[18] Critics compare such a facility to Nazi concentration camps, referring to it as "Alligator Auschwitz"^[19] while others situate it within Amercian concentration camps,^[20] such as Manzanar.

The Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport replaced Everglades Jetport, whose construction began in 1968. Following environmental concerns related to the Big Cypress Swamp and the cancellation of the 2707 Boeing program, construction was halted in 1970 after the completion of just one 10,500' runway.^[21] West of Miami, it is accessed by U.S. Route 41 (also known as the Tamiami Trail).

DeSantis invoked a standing 2023 immigration "state of emergency" to seize the county-owned airfield and fast-track construction without the usual procurement or environmental reviews.^[22] He mobilized a team of private companies^[13][14] to build the facility and deployed the Florida National Guard to secure the site.^[23][24] Democratic Party legislators question the use and overreach of emergency powers^[25].

On June 19, 2025, Florida Attorney General Uthmeier publicly announced the detention center in a video posted to Twitter, in which he called it "Alligator Alcatraz." U.S. President Donald Trump and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem joined DeSantis and other Florida state leaders on Tuesday July 1, 2025, for the facility's opening. Trump praised it, saying, "It might be as good as the real Alcatraz."^[26]

The first group of immigrant detainees arrived on July 3, 2025, beginning the facility's operations.^[27] Some detainees have reported harsh conditions at the facility, citing limited access to water, insufficient food, and restrictions on the practice of their religion.^[28] Detainees have described unsanitary conditions, including wastewater overflows and insect infestations, as well as inadequate access to medical care.^[29] The area on which the facility is located is also subject to frequent bouts of extreme weather, including yearly hurricanes, heavy rainfall, and high heat.^[30]

On July 22, 2025, people detained on site began a hunger strike to protest what they consider to be inhumane and dangerous living conditions.^[31] Some detainees reported maggots in the food and having to "dig the fecal matter out of the toilets with their bare hands" for lack of plumbing. The Florida Division of Emergency Management has denied the claims, but no independent inspections have been allowed.^[32]

On August 7, 2025, U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams temporarily halted construction at the facility for two weeks, while she considers if the detention center violates any environmental laws. Witnesses testified that 20 acres (8 hectares) of new asphalt had been laid, while temporary tents, trailers, and other heavy equipment were at the airport.^[33] Located in wetlands, its construction and sewage may be sources of water pollution.

A review of official records revealed that nearly half of the people detained at the facility, including Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recepients,^[34] lack a criminal record, and fewer than 30% had been convicted of any crime.^[35]

On June 22 and June 28, 2025, Betty Osceola, a Miccosukee tribal judge and member of the Everglades Advisory Committee, organised Indigenous-Led Prayer Gatherings and public demonstrations to highlight environmental and cultural concerns. Talbert Cypress, chairman of the Miccosukee Business Council, noted that no environmental impact research had been done and that some Native villages were within 900 feet (270 m) of the camp's entrance.^[36] The Seminole Tribe of Florida was likewise in opposition citing sacred lands.^[37][38]

Uthmeier described the 39-square-mile (100 km²) parcel as "the best natural perimeter money can't buy," arguing that the surrounding Everglades wildlife offers a deterrent to escapees.^[39] State officials have also argued that the facility's location and its susceptibility to hurricanes will encourage undocumented immigrants to self-deport.^[40] After the facility's announcement, the Republican Party of Florida began to market "Alligator Alcatraz" merchandise.^[40] Critics find the fundraising pitch cruel and inaccurate.^[41]

On June 27, 2025, a coalition led by Friends of the Everglades, the Center for Biological Diversity, and the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians filed suit in a federal court seeking an injunction until a full environmental review and public-comment period are completed.^[42] Plaintiffs argue the project threatens endangered species habitat, including that of the Florida Panther, and violates both the National Environmental Policy Act and tribal cultural-resource protections.^[43] State and federal officials have dismissed the filing as "routine delay tactics."^[44]

On July 16, 2025, the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Florida, and Americans for Immigrant Justice filed a class action suit claiming the Trump administration violates the First Amendment and Fifth Amendment rights of people being detained, as well as the First Amendment rights of legal service organizations and law firms with clients held at the facility.^[45]

Polling on July 4, 2025, by YouGov found that 48% of Americans opposed the detention center, with 33% supporting it and 18% unsure. 53% of independents polled opposed the facility.^[46] In their poll of July 20, 2025, only 28% of women approved of the pre-deportation prison, with 55% disapproving, while less than half of men (42%) favored it.^[47]

• Immigration detention in the United States

• Friends of the Everglades, Inc. v. Noem (US District Court for the Southern District of Florida), 1:25-cv-22896