‘Alligator Alcatraz': Trump administration builds Florida detention centre for deportees
Constructed in just eight days, the centre is estimated to accommodate up to 5,000 people.
The remote Florida facility was nicknamed "Alligator Alcatraz" by Republican lawmakers because it is located in the Big Cypress National Preserve, which is surrounded by marshlands containing pythons and alligators.
The conditions inside the centre are austere. Rows of bunk beds are caged by chain link fences, which sit under large white tents.
The tents are situated next to a runway, which is set to be used for rapid deportation flights.
New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch
Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters
Trump administration officials have asserted the centre will have a law library and recreation centre, but Florida Republicans have leaned into the harsh nature of the facility.
The name Alcatraz is a reference to the notorious and isolated former prison located in San Francisco Bay, which has now become a popular tourist destination.
The executive director of the Republican Party, Bill Heimlich, responded to concerns that the detained migrants could be injured or killed in hurricanes, writing on X, 'They can't get stuck in a hurricane if they self deport 🤷♂️'.
The Florida Republican Party is also selling Alligator Alcrataz merchandise complete with AI-generated images of the facility.
US President Donald Trump, who has previously suggested reopening San Francisco's Alcatraz, toured the facility on Tuesday.
'Biden wanted me in here...it didn't work out that way, but he wanted me in here, the son of a bitch,' Trump remarked during the tour, a reference to the criminal charges he faced during the Biden administration.
Trump also indicated the facility could become a blueprint for similar centres planned in Alabama and Louisiana.
Activist pushback
Environmental and indigenous activists have campaigned against the construction of the facility.
Around a hundred protestors demonstrated against Trump's visit on Tuesday.
Trump moves to revoke US citizenships from naturalised Americans Read More »
Mae'anna Osceola-Hart, a speaker at the protest who identified as a member of the Miccosukee and Seminole people, said that indigenous people stood in solidarity with undocumented migrants against human rights violations.
'We demand the evacuation and disassembly of the detention centre that will inevitably damage the ecosystem, the city of Miami's primary source of drinking water,' Osceola-Hart also said.
Meanwhile, a coalition of environmental groups sued the Department of Homeland Security over similar ecological concerns.
They alleged that the facility's creators failed to investigate the environmental impact of the detention centre.
'[The facility] will use and impair the Big Cypress National Preserve by causing direct and indirect harm to its wetlands, wildlife, and air and water quality. These impacts will result in the degradation of the natural, scenic, hydrologic, floral, and faunal, and recreational values,' the lawsuit says.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The National
41 minutes ago
- The National
Israeli drone strike blows up car near Beirut
Israel attacked a busy road near Beirut on Thursday, blowing up a car and killing an alleged arms smuggler. CCTV footage showed the moment the vehicle exploded in a ball of flame, while cars passed the scene of the explosion on the Khaldeh road. Authorities in Lebanon said one person was killed and three were injured in the attack on Beirut's southern suburbs. The Israeli military said it had 'struck and eliminated a terrorist responsible for smuggling weapons and advancing terror attacks against Israeli civilians and troops". It claimed the target worked on behalf of Iran 's Quds Force, a foreign operations branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The attack is the latest Israeli strike to breach a ceasefire in Lebanon that followed a 14-month conflict with Iran-backed Hezbollah, including an intensive two-month Israeli air campaign. It ended in November under a US-brokered truce, leaving Lebanon with huge reconstruction needs. Under the terms of the ceasefire, Hezbollah is required to withdraw all military equipment and fighters from south of the Litani River, which lies 30km from the Lebanon-Israel border. Israel is supposed to fully withdraw from positions it has occupied since launching a ground invasion in October. The Lebanese government has accused Israel of breaching the truce more than 3,000 times. It says Hezbollah has abided by its commitments. Israel separately said its military hit "weapons storage facilities, military structures, and terrorist infrastructure" belonging to Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, where breaches of the ceasefire have been common. It said "the presence of weapons and Hezbollah's activity constitutes a blatant violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon". Lebanon has recently come under increasing US pressure to include Hezbollah's disarmament in its official government agenda as soon as possible. Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem said in a televised speech on Thursday the group would 'never accept surrendering our weapons to the Israeli enemy' nor 'accept surrendering our land'. Hezbollah saw its power dramatically diminished and most of its senior leaders killed in the war with Israel. But it is still believed to possess medium and long-range missiles, and it continues to command a broad Shiite support base.
Middle East Eye
an hour ago
- Middle East Eye
Trump cannot prevent migrants from seeking asylum at US border, judge says
A US federal judge on Wednesday ruled that President Donald Trump exceeded his authority when he signed an executive order in January that barred all migrants at the US-Mexico border. 'The president cannot adopt an alternative immigration system, which supplants the statutes that Congress has enacted," US district judge Randolph Moss said in a 128-page opinion. Trump, he added, does not possess "an extra-statutory, extra-regulatory regime for repatriating or removing individuals from the United States, without an opportunity to apply for asylum". The American Civil Liberties Union, as well as a litany of other immigrant rights groups, brought the case against the government, arguing that preventing asylum seekers from a chance at protection in the US violates congressional mandates as well as international treaties. "No president has the authority to unilaterally block people who come to our border seeking safety," Keren Zwick, director of litigation at the National Immigrant Justice Center, said in a press release shortly after the decision was announced. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters "The courts have repeatedly sided with us on this issue, and we will continue to fight cruel policies, under any administration, that harm individuals and families who flee persecution," he added. Javier Hidalgo, legal director at the immigrant advocacy organisation Raices, said the judicial branch "is what stands between us and anarchy". "The Trump administration's prerogative is once again found to be unlawful. It is increasingly clear where the illegality lies, and it is not with the immigrant families upon whom this administration is inflicting unfathomable harm". The Trump administration has two weeks to appeal the decision. 'Invasion' Just hours after being sworn in on 20 January, Trump signed an executive order declaring a "national emergency" at the southern border and blocking migration north of Mexico. This was necessary, he said, because of the "invasion" of migrants from "cartels, criminal gangs, known terrorists, human traffickers, smugglers, unvetted military-age males from foreign adversaries, and illicit narcotics that harm Americans, including America". "America's sovereignty is under attack," the order said. Trump authorised the Pentagon to deploy "as many units or members of the Armed Forces, including the Ready Reserve and the National Guard, as the Secretary of Defense determines to be appropriate to support the activities of the Secretary of Homeland Security in obtaining complete operational control of the southern border". Additional funds were also allocated to construct physical barriers and deploy more surveillance drones along the border. That executive order was followed by another one halting all refugee admissions to the US and ending federal funding for refugee programmes to help with resettlement, transportation, and education. Trump has also moved to end birthright citizenship and is now prioritising a crackdown on naturalised immigrants who may have criminal or even civil violations dating back several years. Birthright citizenship is the legal right for people born in the US to acquire citizenship under the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution automatically. ProPublica, an investigative journalism outfit, has called the decisions to go after US citizens and lawful residents "unprecedented".
Middle East Eye
2 hours ago
- Middle East Eye
Video of US contractors cheering after firing at Gaza civilians ignites fury online
A new Associated Press (AP) report detailing how American contractors guarding aid distribution sites used live ammunition, stun grenades and pepper spray against starving Palestinians seeking food has sparked fierce criticism online. Published on 2 July, the article is based on testimonies from two American contractors, videos, internal messages and forensic audio analysis. Both whistleblowers said they came forward due to what they described as 'dangerous and irresponsible practices' at sites run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), the controversial US- and Israel-backed organisation operating in the besieged enclave. Online reaction to the report was swift, with hundreds of people slamming the private military contractors and the distribution hubs. 'US mercenary criminal-thugs… GHF and the gang are killing machines in 'humanitarian' clothing', wrote one X user. Another X user called the operation a 'sham' masking a 'ruthless agenda'. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters A few people quoted the news agency's description of the audio from one video: 'At that moment, bursts of gunfire erupt close by, at least 15 shots. 'Whoo! Whoo!' one contractor yelps. 'I think you hit one', one says. Then comes a shout: 'Hell, yeah, boy!' While the clip does not show who was shooting, or where the shots were aimed, the contractor speaking to AP said their colleague was shooting in the direction of Palestinians at the aid point, and that they saw a man in that direction drop to the ground. At that moment, bursts of gunfire erupt close by, at least 15 shots. 'Whoo! Whoo!' one contractor yelps. 'I think you hit one,' one says. Then comes a shout: 'Hell, yeah, boy!' — Adil Haque (@AdHaque110) July 2, 2025 While some users praised the news agency for the report, others expressed frustration with its timing, which they same came too late. 'Yeah thanks AP, five weeks later and 600 people dead later #breakingnews', one user posted. Another said: 'Palestinians have been telling you this is happening for weeks... Maybe you should start believing the victims of genocide over the ones committing it.' 'When are you going to do something?' Middle East Eye has reported on Israeli forces targeting Palestinian aid seekers since the GHF began operations in late May. At least 600 Palestinians have been killed so far, and thousands more injured. Eyewitnesses have described the incidents as 'ambushes' carried out by the Israeli military. Israeli troops have admitted to deliberately firing on unarmed Palestinians at the food distribution points, following direct orders from their superiors, according to a Haaretz report published last week. A GHF subcontractor speaking to the AP denied that serious injuries had occurred at any of the aid sites. Video from Associated Press showing American contractors as they cheer after shooting Palestinians desperate for food. 'Hell yeah boy' — Bruno Maçães (@MacaesBruno) July 2, 2025 But many on social media dismissed official denials by the GHF and its partners, instead pointing to accounts from Palestinians. A video and photograph in the AP report shows at least one woman reportedly hit in the head with a stun grenade and another man in visible distress after being tear-gassed. Social media users also raised alarm over the reported lack of oversight and qualifications among armed contractors operating at the aid sites. 'Last minute and unqualified contractors, untested weapons, little to no supervision, no rule of engagement,' lamented one user. 'This is what you do when you have no value of lives you are engaging with.' Others called on politicians to take action. Are we really at the point where American contractors can open fire on starving people—and we just shrug? No condemnation. No investigation. Where's Congress? To the world, we're just another mercenary force now. Don't kid yourself—there was another way. — Adam N Weinstein (@AdamNoahWho) July 3, 2025 One user urged the leaders of the UK, Canada and France to respond to 'war crimes' by Israel, saying in 'the last last 20 months we've been absolutely inundated with many examples of them'. 'When are you going to act like leaders in the UN and do something?' they asked. Others called for the GHF to be shut down. 'GHF no longer has ANY credibility. It has denied firing on civilians time and time again but it has been show to be true. GHF have repeatedly lied,' posted one user on X. 'They need to be shut down and proper aid practices put back in place.'
