Florida's 'Alligator Alcatraz': Krishti Noem spills beans to use federal funds to build 'terrifying' detention center
The proposal was floated by James Uthmeier last week who said an abandoned Everglades airfield will be turned into a detention center for immigrants with criminal records, nicknamed "Alligator Alcatraz."
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Florida's Alligator Alcatraz
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Florida has begun building a detention centre- dubbed the ' Alligator Alcatraz ' - to temporarily hold migrants on an air strip in the Everglades. The Trump administration has revealed its plans to use funds from an otherwise gutted disaster-relief agency to build the detention centre that will be surrounded by alligators and pythons.Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the facility would be funded "in large part" by the Federal Emergency Management Agency's shelter and services programme. In a social media post on X, Noem said her department has been working at "turbo speed" to deliver on President Donald Trump's mass deportation drive.'These new facilities will in large part be funded by [the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA)] Shelter and Services program, which the Biden administration used as a piggy bank to spend hundreds of millions of American taxpayer dollars to house illegal aliens,' Noem added in her Monday post.Noem said the detention facilities in Florida will be funded "in large part" by the Federal Emergency Management Agency's shelter and services program. Proposed by Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, the detention center will mostly comprise a number of large tents set up on a remote airfield in the Everglades.US DHS Secretary Krishti Noem said the federal government will fund Florida's plan to establish immigration detention centers, including the proposed "Alligator Alcatraz" site in the Everglades. "Under President Trump's leadership, we are working at turbo speed on cost-effective and innovative ways to deliver on the American people's mandate for mass deportations of criminal illegal aliens," Noem told CBS News."We will expand facilities and bed space in just days, thanks to our partnership with Florida."The proposal was floated by James Uthmeier last week who said an abandoned Everglades airfield will be turned into a detention center for immigrants with criminal records, nicknamed "Alligator Alcatraz." The plan has been criticised by several lawmakers, including the mayor of Miami-Dade County, who argued it could be environmentally "devastating". The proposal comes as Trump tries to deliver on a campaign pledge to ramp up deportations of illegal migrants.Uthmeier said the site's natural surroundings serve as a strong deterrent, warning that detainees trying to flee would face alligators and pythons with nowhere to hide. On Monday, Uthmeier announced federal approval for Florida's plan to build Alligator Alcatraz and other sites, which could hold up to 5,000 detainees and begin operating as temporary facilities early next month.Uthmeier announced the federal government had "approved" the state's plan to build "Alligator Alcatraz" and other facilities that he said could collectively house as many as 5,000 detainees, reports CBS News. He said the facilities could start receiving detainees early next month, calling them temporary."There's really nowhere to go. If you're housed there, if you're detained there, there's no way in, no way out," Uthmeier said in an interview with conservative commentator Benny Johnson, describing the "Alligator Alcatraz" facility.Primarily charged with overseeing disaster relief efforts, FEMA is an agency within the Department of Homeland Security that has faced significant cuts under the second Trump administration.As the Trump administration intensifies immigration enforcement across the United States, it continues to receive strong support from state officials in Republican-led states such as Louisiana, Texas, and Florida. In Texas, for example, members of the state's National Guard have been deputized to act as immigration officers, granting them the authority to enforce federal immigration laws.On Monday, Florida Chief of Staff James Uthmeier issued a statement reaffirming the state's commitment to cooperating with federal immigration efforts.'Florida will stand shoulder to shoulder with this administration to keep our state safe, strong, and free,' Uthmeier said. 'I'm proud to support President Trump and Secretary Noem in their mission to resolve the illegal immigration crisis. Facilities like 'Alligator Alcatraz' and others across Florida will play a key role in achieving that goal.'
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