Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier proposed housing illegal immigrants in a remote section of the Everglades, referring to the facility as “Alligator Alcatraz.”
In a video posted online, Uthmeier showcased the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport, a virtually deserted airfield situated about 50 miles west of Miami, deep in the heart of the Florida Everglades.
Uthmeier said the facility is an ideal spot for a temporary detention center due to its isolation and existing infrastructure.
“It’s an old, virtually abandoned airport facility right in the middle of the Everglades,” Uthmeier said in the video.
Despite its state of disuse, he suggested that the site could be refurbished and operational within 30 to 60 days.
I joined @johnrobertsFox on @FoxNews to discuss being held in contempt of court for advancing President Trump's illegal immigration agenda. pic.twitter.com/0ff8M444GO
— Attorney General James Uthmeier (@AGJamesUthmeier) June 19, 2025
Once complete, the facility would have the capacity to hold approximately 1,000 illegal aliens on a short-term basis.
Speaking with Fox News anchor John Roberts, Uthmeier highlighted the state’s ongoing efforts to crack down on illegal immigration.
“We’re going to continue to [detain and deport]. We’ve got thousands of arrests underway. We’re going to enforce the law,” he said.
He also noted that Florida was taking charge on immigration enforcement, saying, “Florida has been leading on immigration enforcement, supporting the Trump administration and ICE’s effort to detain and deport criminal aliens.”
The Trump White House reportedly has set a firm target of no fewer than 3,000 arrests of illegal aliens each day, according to Stephen Miller, who serves as the administration’s deputy chief of staff and homeland security advisor.
White House Deputy Chief of Staff @StephenM confirmed the Trump administration is "looking to set a goal of a minimum of 3,000 arrests for ICE every day," and saying the number is going to keep getting bumped higher over time. pic.twitter.com/kWhWOtei9F
— Fox News (@FoxNews) May 29, 2025
Florida has emerged as a leader in achieving those benchmarks, with arrests at the end of April topping over 1,000.
Uthmeier said the new detention facility came at the direction of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who asked state officials to locate and prepare short term holding centers.
“The governor tasked state leaders to identify the places for new, temporary detention facilities. I think this is the best one. As I call it: Alligator Alcatraz,” Uthmeier remarked.
The facility, which spans 30 square miles, offers what Uthmeier described as a secure, cost-effective alternative to conventional detention centers.
Its remote location minimizes the need for extensive fencing or high-security infrastructure.
The name “Alligator Alcatraz” stems from the natural deterrents the area provides.
Surrounded by swamp, alligators, and invasive pythons, escape attempts from the facility would pose serious risks, similar to the once-infamous Alcatraz Island prison in San Francisco Bay.
Not everyone is on board with the state’s intensified immigration tactics. Florida Democrat Rep. Maxwell Frost launched a blistering critique of the Trump administration’s policies during an appearance on CBS’s “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.”
“There is no legal process for people,” Frost claimed. “We have ICE federal agents pulling up, terrorizing our communities, hopping out of unmarked vans, stealing and yes, kidnapping people, not giving them their day in court and yes, human trafficking them to other nations, other countries around the entire world.”
He contended that immigration enforcement under the Trump administration had gone beyond the bounds of the law.
“Due process is something that applies to every person in this country, regardless of your status,” he said.
Frost further argued that the actions taken against illegal immigrants undermine the principles the United States claims to uphold.
“So this is from the party that likes to talk a lot about the American exceptionalism, but they want to rip away the few things that make our country actually exceptional,” he commented. “And part of that is the fact that our rights are for everybody.”
Do alligators eat Mexican food? How about Latin? Maybe they don’t like the taste.
Illegal aliens are not citizens and need to be picked up and deported back to their own countries immediately. They have no right to do process as citizens do.
What is the DNC expecting by insisting these illegally here aliens have some citizens rights? Get a clue DNC dimwit nitwits, we citizens are sick of the infusion you are behind to let these people come to the US without doing it lawfully.
They cost a lot to support, generally speak little or no english, and should not be here as they truly represent a culture clash. They kill wildlife in parks and eat them. It is so disgusting.
Thank kammikens and senile joe for their back door entry but get em out of here now that we have finally won an election of the majority in this country that the dimwit nitwits could not cheat enough to win.
Crock of crap keeps threatening more ridiculous time wasting on pursuing Trump with their ridiculous threats. Ship her out with the illegal aliens. She needs a real lesson on real world happenings. Send her to Africa and see how much the men of that country let her run her big mouth and spew her hate. She does need to leave the US since she hates it and the majority populace so much. Have her take Omar too, another transplant in the US who should not be here.
Louisiana has a Prison Unit exactly like that. They have had this unit since 1901. It is Angola. They have very few escapes.
Do this all over the Glades in FL awesome