Trump at 'Alligator Alcatraz': Facts on Florida Everglades immigration detention center
The 39-acre site is currently home to the Miami-Dade Collier Training and Transition Airport.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said he plans to use emergency powers to take over the land from Miami-Dade County. According to a statement by the Department of Homeland Security, expansion of facilities are already underway, including bringing in about 5,000 beds.
Here are the top things to know about Alligator Alcatraz.
What is Alligator Alcatraz?
Alligator Alcatraz is a nickname for a planned immigration detention facility, Florida's version of the infamous prison in California, that is being built at a remote unused airstrip in the heart of the Florida Everglades. The location is surrounded by alligators and pythons, as a natural barrier.
Where is Alligator Alcatraz located? Map shows Florida location
Alligator Alcatraz is currently located at the Dade-Collier Training and Transportation Airport, which is about 40 miles from Miami International Airport. The facility was constructed in 1968 and originally known as the Everglades Jetport or Big Cypress Swamp Jetport, according to the National Park Service. The address is 54575 Tamiami Trail E, Ochopee, FL 34141
Historical facts: From airport to Alcatraz
In the 1960s, the airstrip was once envisioned to be the largest airport in the United States by being five times the size of JFK International Airport. The 'South Florida Jetport' as it would have been called, would have had access to the coast via a new highway and a high-speed monorail, situated within a 1,000-foot-wide corridor that currently spans protected water conservation areas.
'Alligator Alcatraz' merch pushed by GOP
With the new opening of this detention center, Florida's GOP has started selling Alligator Alcatraz merch as a way of fundraising for the center, according to a tweet from Florida GOP. The merch includes t-shirts, hats and drink coolers with prices starting from 15-30 dollars.
Environmental groups sue to stop building Everglades detention center
Two groups, Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity, have filed a lawsuit against the Florida Division of Emergency Management, the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement to stop what they said is the "unlawful construction of a prison in the heart of the Everglades."
Sierra Club Florida also is opposed to the development, which it said is "irresponsible."
"This proposal is not only deeply inhumane, it is profoundly irresponsible from an environmental, ethical, and fiscal standpoint," the state chapter of the national organization said in a statement June 24. "The Everglades is a unique and fragile ecosystem — a UNESCO World Heritage Site, home to countless endangered species, and a vital source of drinking water for more than nine million Floridians. To pave over a portion of this irreplaceable landscape for a high‑security prison is nothing short of ecological vandalism."
Francesca Abarca is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at fabarca@gannett.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.
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