Trump Visits Controversial Florida Migrant Detention Center Dubbed ‘Alligator Alcatraz’

Rahaman Hadisur
Jul 1
2 min read

Hadisur Rahman, JadeTimes Staff

H. Rahman is a Jadetimes news reporter covering the USA

President Donald Trump traveled to southern Florida on Tuesday morning to inaugurate a controversial new migrant detention facility, drawing national attention to a site nicknamed “Alligator Alcatraz” for its remote location and surrounding wildlife.

Trump was joined by a host of Republican officials, including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Attorney General James Uthmeier, Rep. Byron Donalds, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons, and Florida Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie.

The group convened for a closed-door roundtable discussion at 10 a.m. ET at the facility, followed by remarks about border security and federal-state cooperation on immigration enforcement.

The newly constructed detention facility is a temporary processing and deportation center designed to house undocumented migrants apprehended in Florida and neighboring states. According to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, the center represents a "new phase" in federal immigration enforcement, with a focus on swift deportations and reduced detention times.

The site earned its nickname "Alligator Alcatraz" for its isolation and the dangerous Everglades wildlife that surrounds it including alligators and pythons. Florida Attorney General Uthmeier, a vocal supporter of the project, remarked in a recent video that the natural landscape acts as a deterrent to escape attempts.

“You don’t need to invest that much in the perimeter,” Uthmeier said. “People get out, there’s not much waiting for them other than alligators and pythons.”

The moniker also nods to the original Alcatraz prison off the coast of San Francisco a former federal penitentiary known for its isolation and inescapability. Trump had previously floated the idea of reopening Alcatraz as a federal facility earlier this year.

"Alligator Alcatraz" is located on a 39-mile property at the former Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport in Ochopee, Florida. The decommissioned airport, previously used for flight training and military exercises, was selected due to its vast vacant land and logistical distance from residential communities.

Officials say the facility will serve as a model for similar centers that may be deployed across the southern United States in coordination with local governments. The Department of Homeland Security has not released an official capacity figure for the site, though sources indicate it is built to house thousands.

The launch of the facility has sparked strong reactions from both immigration advocates and supporters of stricter border policies. Human rights groups have expressed concerns over due process and humanitarian conditions, while GOP leaders tout the center as a necessary step to “regain operational control of the southern border.”

Trump, who has made immigration a central issue of his 2024 and 2025 campaign cycles, described the facility as “a model of strength, deterrence, and American sovereignty.”

The event was livestreamed across Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier’s social media accounts, including YouTube, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and Rumble, where the visit drew tens of thousands of live viewers.