logo
'Alligator Alcatraz': The airport of the future becomes symbol of Trump's migrant clampdown

'Alligator Alcatraz': The airport of the future becomes symbol of Trump's migrant clampdown

Sky News19 hours ago
"If people get out, there's not much waiting for them other than alligators and pythons."
That's what Florida 's attorney general has said about the new 'Alligator Alcatraz' detention centre in the southern US state.
It is a symbol of the White House's determination to deport migrants from America which it says do not have a right to be in the country.
Located on a mostly abandoned airport once built to house supersonic jets, detainees would have to "know how to run away from an alligator" to escape the facility, President Donald Trump said on Tuesday.
But for critics, it's a dehumanising "theatricalisation of cruelty" that will cost hundreds of millions of dollars to run each year.
What is Alligator Alcatraz?
The Dade-Collier airport was once destined to be the world's largest airport and would have been five times the size of New York City's JFK, but it never fulfilled its potential.
Instead, the 39-square-mile facility located about 50 miles from Miami has been used as a training facility for years - until now.
"This is an old, virtually abandoned airport facility right in the middle of the Everglades," Florida's attorney general James Uthmeier said as he introduced it last month. "I call it: Alligator Alcatraz."
He touted it as an "efficient, low-cost opportunity" to build a "temporary" detention centre "because you don't need to invest that much in the perimeter".
It's believed that the facility could house 5,000 detainees when up and running and, according to CNN, will cost $450m (£328m) annually.
Mr Uthmeier added: "If people get out, there's not much waiting for them other than alligators and pythons. Nowhere to go, nowhere to hide."
People sent there will be housed in repurposed Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) emergency trailers and "soft-sided temporary facilities".
16:08
Trump visits new facility
"This is not a nice business," Mr Trump said while leaving the White House. Then he joked that "we're going to teach them how to run away from an alligator if they escape prison", ahead of visiting the centre.
"Don't run in a straight line. Run like this," he said, as he moved his hand in a zigzag motion. "And you know what? Your chances go up about 1%." According to the University of Florida, it's actually best to dash in one direction in the rare situation when an alligator chases you.
Mr Trump is using 'Alligator Alcatraz' as a symbol of his border crackdown.
He wants to pressure Congress to pass a sweeping spending bill this week which would ramp up deportations.
Immigrants 'do not deserve' to be at facility
There has been heavy criticism of the detention centre from Democrats and activists, with protesters often gathering nearby.
Former congressman David Jolly, an ex-Republican who is now running for Florida governor as a Democrat, called the facility a "callous political stunt".
"The fact that we're going to have 3,000 people detained in tents, in the Everglades, in the middle of the hot Florida summer, during hurricane season, this is a bad idea all around that needs to be opposed and stopped," Thomas Kennedy, a policy analyst for the Florida Immigrant Coalition said, according to CNN.
"It's like a theatricalisation of cruelty," immigration activist Maria Asuncion Bilbao said.
Phyllis Andrews, a retired teacher who travelled to the area to protest against Mr Trump's visit, said: "I have a lot of immigrants I have been working with. They are fine people. They do not deserve to be incarcerated here.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

House debates Trump's agenda bill and Pentagon pauses Ukraine shipment: Morning Rundown
House debates Trump's agenda bill and Pentagon pauses Ukraine shipment: Morning Rundown

NBC News

time17 minutes ago

  • NBC News

House debates Trump's agenda bill and Pentagon pauses Ukraine shipment: Morning Rundown

The Republican-led House seeks to pass the bill for Donald Trump's agenda before the end of the week. The Pentagon pauses a shipment of weapons to Ukraine. And jurors reach a verdict in four of the five counts against Sean 'Diddy' Combs. Here's what to know today. House Speaker Mike Johnson races to pass Trump's megabill House Speaker Mike Johnson is racing against a July 4 deadline to approve the sweeping domestic policy package for President Donald Trump's agenda after it cleared the Senate. The bill might not have an easy path to passage in the House, where Republicans can only spare three votes and changes made by the Senate could be met with opposition. The Senate narrowly passed the legislation yesterday in a 51-50 vote. Vice President JD Vance broke the tie after three Republicans — Sens. Rand Paul, Thom Tillis and Susan Collins — joined all Democrats in opposing the legislation. In the marathon overnight session that spanned more than 24 hours, Senate Majority Leader John Thune and his team made several eleventh-hour changes to appease holdouts like Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who had expressed concerns about the bill's cuts to social safety net programs. This is Morning Rundown, a weekday newsletter to start your day. Sign up here to get it in your inbox. The Senate-approved bill includes an extension of Trump's 2017 tax cuts, provisions to temporarily eliminate taxes on tips and overtime pay, and new funding for the military and Trump's immigration and mass deportation plans. It would also raise the debt ceiling by $5 trillion. Also notable: Republicans used a trick known as 'current policy baseline' to obscure the cost of extending the tax cuts, essentially lowering the sticker price of the bill by $3.8 trillion, and setting a lasting precedent in weakening the Senate's usual 60-vote threshold. A hurdle to passage in the House could come from the far-right Freedom Caucus, which fought for a $40,000 state and local tax, or SALT, deduction cap. The Senate's bill keeps the $40,000 cap, but the deduction would be cut back to a $10,000 cap after five years. Meanwhile, several House members were scrambling to get to Washington, D.C., to vote on the bill after storms caused flight delays across the country. More politics news: Paramount has agreed to pay $16 million to settle a lawsuit brought by President Donald Trump that had alleged an interview that aired on CBS's '60 Minutes' last year with Kamala Harris, his Democratic opponent for the presidency, was deceptively edited. Trump attended the opening of a new immigration detention center in Florida dubbed 'Alligator Alcatraz.' He had some nice things to say about Gov. Ron DeSantis and rated their relationship a 10 — or 'maybe a 9.9.' Zohran Mamdani has officially won New York City's Democratic mayoral primary with 56% of the vote. Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who conceded on election night but will still be on the November ballot as an independent, received 44% of the vote. What is it like working in Trump's West Wing? More than a dozen past and current administration officials described a freewheeling atmosphere that mirrors the president. Trump and Elon Musk are fighting — again. Now, Musk's business interests and the billions in government contracts they enjoy are in the crosshairs. Trump says Israel has agreed to ceasefire conditions Israel and Hamas have yet to comment after President Donald Trump said on social media that Israel had 'agreed to the necessary conditions' to finalize a ceasefire deal to end the yearslong war in Gaza. In a Truth Social post yesterday, Trump said the 60-day ceasefire would allow for time to 'work with all parties to end the War.' He urged Hamas to take the deal and warned, 'it will only get worse.' The Israeli Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and Hamas has yet to weigh in. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to visit the White House next week. Read the full story here. Pentagon halts weapons shipment to Ukraine Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered a pause in sending a shipment of missiles and ammunition to Ukraine over concerns about the U.S. military's stockpiles, according to two defense officials, two congressional officials and two sources with knowledge of the decision. The pause comes weeks after Hegseth ordered a review of the U.S. stockpile of munitions. The supply has been depleted in recent years as the U.S. sent assistance to Ukraine in its war against Russia and to the Middle East as the U.S. fought Houthi rebels in Yemen and defended Israel and allies against Iran, four officials said. Among the thousands of weapons being delayed are dozens of Patriot interceptors. President Donald Trump said last week after a NATO conference that the U.S. is trying to find such missiles to send to Ukraine. If the munitions are found to be in short supply or needed in other parts of the world, they could be held back even after the Hegseth-ordered assessment is complete. Read the full story here. Jurors deliberate on final count in Sean Combs' trial Jurors in Sean 'Diddy' Combs' federal trial are set to continue deliberations today behind closed doors on the racketeering conspiracy charge against the music mogul. Yesterday, the jury announced it made up its mind on four of the prosecution's five counts against Combs — two counts of sex trafficking and two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution — but said it could not reach a unanimous decision on the racketeering conspiracy charge. U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian instructed the jurors to keep talking. The racketeering conspiracy charge was always going to be tough for the jury to come to a decision on, NBC News legal analyst Danny Cevallos wrote in an analysis, because it's a tough charge for even attorneys to understand. Read more about Tuesday's developments, and follow our live blog on for key updates today. The Dalai Lama says he plans to reincarnate, signals China should stay out of succession process The Tibetan Buddhist institution led by the Dalai Lama will live on after he dies, with the spiritual leader putting an end to speculation that he would be the last person to hold the role. The exiled religious figurehead, who is 89 and has spent almost 70 years living in exile in India, said that no one outside his organization has authority 'to interfere in this matter' amid growing worry about Chinese government intervention in the selection process. The Chinese government responded to the comments swiftly, with a Foreign Ministry spokesperson saying that any succession planning must comply with laws and regulations. In March, the Dalai Lama said in a new book that his successor would be born in the 'free world' outside China. Read the full story here. Read All About It Bryan Kohberger will appear at a hearing today about his apparent plea deal in the murders of four University of Idaho students in 2022. Here's what we know about the proposed deal. A warehouse storing fireworks in California caught fire and exploded, causing pyrotechnics to detonate above the site and sparking a wildfire. Jimmy Swaggart, one of the first televangelists to take his ministry to a massive TV audience before being embroiled in a damaging sex scandal, has died at the age of 90. Lululemon is suing Costco, accusing the big box store of selling dupes of its apparel and claiming to suffer 'significant harm' to its reputation. Over 143,000 pounds of bologna from a New Jersey-based company is being recalled for containing 'meat or poultry source materials' not declared on the product labels. A 19-year-old who managed to escape a so-called 'panic house' in Mexico a year ago said he lived in fear after developing a drug addiction and falling victim to drug trafficking in Guanajuato, in central Mexico. 'Unfortunately, they've already killed my best friend and my relatives,' he told our colleagues at Noticias Telemundo. Panic houses are places to purchase and do drugs, but they also serve as recruitment bases for young people to become hitmen and operatives for criminal groups. And with a growing methamphetamine epidemic, one expert said more minors are getting roped into the deadly lifestyle. — Elizabeth Robinson, newsletter editor NBC Select: Online Shopping, Simplified Talking Shop is an NBC Select series where we talk to interesting people about their most interesting buys. We recently spoke to Peach & Lily founder Alicia Yoon about her favorite sunscreen, daily conditioner, hair mousse and much more. Plus, we found over 29 nifty problem-solving kitchen gadgets on Amazon that every home chef could use. here.

European shares rise; investors await signs on trade progress
European shares rise; investors await signs on trade progress

Reuters

time19 minutes ago

  • Reuters

European shares rise; investors await signs on trade progress

July 2 (Reuters) - European shares edged higher on Wednesday, led by banks, while investors assessed the prospects for trade deals ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump's July 9 tariff deadline. The pan-European STOXX 600 index (.STOXX), opens new tab advanced 0.3% at 541.91 points, as of 0818 GMT. Other major regional indexes also traded higher. Trump, on Tuesday, said he was not considering an extension of the July 9 deadline for countries to negotiate trade deals with the U.S. He expressed optimism about a potential trade deal with India but was skeptical about reaching a similar agreement with Japan. Meanwhile, European Union's trade chief is expected to hold negotiations this week in Washington to avert higher U.S. tariffs. "It looks like there is progress slowly being made (on trade deals)....whether this deal occurs by the 9th or after isn't that relevant as long as the trajectory is quite good.", said said Viresh Kanabar, macro strategist - asset allocation at Macro Hive. In the U.S., Senate Republicans passed Trump's massive tax-and-spending bill on Tuesday by the narrowest of margins. The legislation now heads to the House of Representatives for possible final approval. Banks (.SX7P), opens new tab led sectoral gains, rising 1.5%. European industrial miners (.SXPP), opens new tab rose 1.4%. Kanabar said that investors are seeing a source of good value in European banks, noting, "the banking system has moved away from the pre-pandemic period of low returns and the consumer picture is much stronger". Among stocks, Spain's Banco Sabadell ( opens new tab gained 5.1%, the most among bank stocks, after Santander ( opens new tab said it had reached an agreement to buy its British unit TSB. Avanza Bank ( opens new tab gained 7% after a report said that the Swedish financial group's founder is considering taking the company private. Shares in European renewable energy companies rose after the U.S. Senate passed a revised budget bill that was more positive for the wind industry compared to an earlier version. Vestas ( opens new tab rose 9.4% and was the top gainer in the STOXX 600. Orsted ( opens new tab gained 4.1%, hitting a three-month high. Britain's Spectris (SXS.L), opens new tab gained 4.5% after the scientific instruments maker accepted an improved takeover offer from U.S. private equity firm KKR (KKR.N), opens new tab. Conversely, Greggs (GRG.L), opens new tab fell 14.3% after the British baker and fast food chain said its annual operating profit could be modestly below last year's levels. Additionally, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday that the EU is blocking the UK government's attempts to join a pan-European trading bloc. Euro-zone unemployment data for May is due later in the day.

Ireland adds 10,000 foreign multinational jobs in H1, up from 2024
Ireland adds 10,000 foreign multinational jobs in H1, up from 2024

Reuters

time20 minutes ago

  • Reuters

Ireland adds 10,000 foreign multinational jobs in H1, up from 2024

DUBLIN, July 2 (Reuters) - Ireland secured commitments from foreign multinational companies during the first half of the year to create 10,000 jobs, up from 8,900 in the same period last year despite the challenging trade environment, the country's inward investment agency said. Ireland is hugely reliant on the taxes and jobs of foreign multinationals. They have almost doubled their workforce in the last decade to make up around 11% of the entire labour market, but jobs growth has stalled over the past two years. The decades-old model of attracting jobs from mainly U.S. firms in sectors such as technology and pharmaceuticals has been further threatened by President Donald Trump's sweeping economic policies and pledge to bring more production back to the U.S. IDA Ireland's half-year results do not take job losses into account that broadly cancelled out new jobs in 2023 and 2024. New jobs are unlikely to be as strong in the second half, but that seasonality is not unusual, IDA CEO Michael Lohan said on Wednesday. "Ireland has promoted its political, policy and institutional stability as important aspects of our offering to FDI. Today's results are evidence that in a turbulent world, this stability now stands out as a very attractive feature," IDA Chairman, Feargal O'Rourke, added. The new job commitments arose from 179 new investments, also up from 131 in the first half of 2024. Research, development and innovation projects accounted for a quarter of those and were driven by the pharmaceutical and technology sectors. The total share from North American companies stood at 65%, in line with historical trends, while the new investments included 52 companies investing in Ireland for the first time. Lohan added that foreign multinationals are starting to make major capital investment decisions again now they are beginning to see a path to what the future might look like following the huge uncertainty unleashed by U.S. tariff announcements in April.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store