Latest news with #AlliagatorAlcatraz
Global News
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Global News
Trump tours ‘Alligator Alcatraz' as protests erupt over detention facility
U.S. President Donald Trump toured the informally named 'Alligator Alcatraz' on Tuesday, where he celebrated — and even joked about — the harsh conditions of the controversial immigration detention facility in the Florida Everglades. The jail, which has been condemned by critics as an inhumane makeshift prison camp, was praised by the president as a model for future nationwide facilities aimed at accelerating deportations, including possibly deporting U.S. citizens. Trump, joined by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, said the facility will soon 'handle the most menacing migrants, some of the most vicious people on the planet.' The president said the moniker is 'very appropriate because I looked outside and that's not a place I want to go hiking anytime soon.' View image in full screen U.S. President Donald Trump tours a migrant detention center, dubbed 'Alligator Alcatraz,' located at the site of the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport in Ochopee, Fla., on July 1, 2025. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds / AFP via Getty Images The president praised the new compound, with its rows of bunk beds in enclosed cages, saying, 'It might be as good as the real Alcatraz.' Story continues below advertisement 'It's a little controversial, but I couldn't care less.' Before arriving, Trump joked about migrants being held there, saying: 'We're going to teach them how to run away from an alligator if they escape prison. Don't run in a straight line. Run like this,' he said, moving his hand in a zigzag motion. 'And you know what? Your chances go up about one per cent.' Doocy: With Alliagator Alcatraz, is the idea that if some illegal immigrant escapes, they just get eaten by an alligator? Trump: I guess that's the concept. Snakes are fast but alligators— we're going to teach them how to run away from an alligator. Don't run in a straight line,… — D. Scott @eclipsethis2003 (@eclipsethis2003) July 2, 2025 The facility is located at an isolated airfield about 72 kilometres west of downtown Miami and is surrounded by swamps filled with mosquitoes, pythons and alligators. Supporters say the references to the notorious Alcatraz federal prison and the harshness of the conditions at the facility are meant to be a deterrent. Story continues below advertisement 'There's really nowhere to go,' Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said in an interview with conservative media commentator Benny Johnson. 'If you're housed there, if you're detained there, there's no way in, no way out.' Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy During the tour, Trump shared his desire to see similar centres established in 'really, many states' across the U.S. He also raised the prospect of deporting U.S. citizens, like ones who 'knife you when you're walking down the street.' 'They're not new to our country. They're old to our country. Many of them were born in our country. I think we ought to get them the hell out of here, too,' he said. 'So maybe that'll be the next job that we'll work on together.' The site can currently house 3,000 people in dormitories corralled by chain-link fences and topped with barbed wire. State officials say it can be expanded to ultimately house 5,000. The site was rapidly constructed by the DeSantis administration in eight days and is equipped with extensive security, including surveillance cameras and 400 staff. Story continues below advertisement The surrounding area has also been the site of steady protests over the past week, with immigrant advocates, environment activists and Indigenous people flocking to the remote area. View image in full screen Demonstrators hold signs as they protest U.S. President Donald Trump's visit to a migrant detention center, dubbed 'Alligator Alcatraz,' located at the site of the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport in Ochopee, Fla., on July 1, 2025. Giorgio Viera / AFP via Getty Images The environmentalists argue that the site threatens important and ecologically sensitive wetlands, immigrant advocates are calling the facility a cruel political stunt and Native leaders have arrived to defend their ancestral homelands. View image in full screen Demonstrators protest the construction of an immigrant detention center, dubbed 'Alligator Alcatraz,' in the Everglades near Ochopee, Fla., on June 28, 2025. Giorgia Viera / AFP via Getty Images State officials, who commandeered the land using emergency powers, argue the site is critical to support Trump's mass deportation agenda. Story continues below advertisement Trump dismissed environmental concerns on Tuesday, saying in wide-ranging remarks that the wetlands' wildlife would outlast the human species. In promoting the opening of the facility, U.S. officials posted on social media images of alligators wearing Immigration and Customs Enforcement hats. Meanwhile, the Florida Republican Party is selling gator-themed clothing and beer koozies. View image in full screen A screen grab of some of the 'Alligator Alcatraz' merchandise being sold by the Florida GOP Store. Screengrab / Global News To help speed up the processing of detainees, DeSantis is offering up members of the state's National Guard to be 'deputized' as immigration judges to hear their cases as a way to loosen another chokepoint in the country's overburdened immigration court system. Story continues below advertisement 'I hope my phone rings off the hook from governors calling and saying, 'How can we do what Florida just did?'' Noem said. 'I would ask every other governor to do the exact same thing,' she added. 'This is unique because we can hold individuals here. They can have their hearings, to get due process and then immediately be flown back home to their home countries.' — With files from Reuters and The Associated Press
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump Makes Cruel Joke About ‘Alligator Alcatraz' Immigrant Escapees
President Donald Trump made light of the brutal concept of 'Alligator Alcatraz' Tuesday amid concerns from law and policy experts about the immigrant detention center. While speaking with the press ahead of visiting the controversial Florida facility, Trump was asked if the idea was that detainees would be eaten by alligators should they try to escape. Trump responded, 'I guess that's the concept. This is not a nice business. I guess that is the concept.' The facility, which has been backed by the Florida state government and Department of Homeland Security and quickly constructed in just weeks, is expected to hold as many as 5,000 beds. The president then joked that immigrants will need to learn how to run away from alligators if they escape from the remote Everglades location that's surrounded by predators. 'Snakes are fast but alligators — we're going to teach them how to run away from an alligator. ... Don't run in a straight line, run like this,' he said while making a zigzag motion with his hands. 'You know what, your chances go up about 1%.' Meanwhile, environmentalists, immigration advocates and Indigenous groups have lined up along highways in the Florida Everglades to protest the site's development and the forthcoming detention center. 'We don't want this prison here,' protester Phyllis Andrews told WPTV Tuesday morning. 'There's no reason for this prison here.' Demonstrator Kailani Osceola called the facility 'just awful,' telling the outlet, 'They're gonna hurt the habitat, the animals, and we're just fighting for the immigrants.' Watch Trump's comments about 'Alligator Alcatraz' below. Doocy: With Alliagator Alcatraz, is the idea that if some illegal immigrant escapes, they just get eaten by an alligator?Trump: I guess that's the concept. Snakes are fast but alligators— we're going to teach them how to run away from an alligator. Don't run in a straight line,… — Acyn (@Acyn) July 1, 2025 'A Human Rights Disaster Waiting To Happen': 'Alligator Alcatraz' Is Ripe For Abuse, Experts Warn Karoline Leavitt's Giddy 'Alligator Alcatraz' Pitch Sends Shivers Down Critics' Spines Trump Talks Alcatraz And There's No Escaping His Wild 'Drivel' Answer
