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Miami Herald
a day ago
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Bunk beds and 28,000 feet of razor wire. Look inside Florida's Alligator Alcatraz
President Donald Trump joined Gov. Ron DeSantis Tuesday morning on a highly publicized tour of the 'Alligator Alcatraz' immigrant detention facility. So, what does it look like? Videos and photos posted on social media give a glimpse into the new facility, which is mostly comprised of tents and trailers and is located at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport, surrounded by wetlands that are home to gators, pythons and other wildlife. Inside the detention center are rows of two-tier bunk beds inside large cells that are totally surrounded on the sides and top by chain-link fencing. Fire and paramedics are on site, according to officials. The facility, which has portable restrooms and showers, has power with backup generators in place. 'There are over 13 different vendors that came together to get this solved in eight days, truly a whole of private sector partnership to get that done,' Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie said during a news conference Tuesday. 'We put a staff village here on site with a capacity of 1,000,' Guthrie said. 'Our services are hot meals three times a day. 24/7 medical facility, pharmacy, air conditioning, access to indoor and outdoor rec yards, legal and clergy support services, laundry. 'Our security element is over 200 security cameras throughout the facility, more than 28,000 feet of barbed wire, 400 plus security personnel, to include 200 men and women, soldiers and airmen,' he added. The federal government has said they will reimburse the state through a FEMA program that has set aside $650 million for the detention effort. Alligator Alcatraz, as the state officially calls the facility, lies in the Everglades about 40 miles west of Miami International Airport and halfway to Naples. Over the past week, the DeSantis administration built the detention camp in the idle airstrip, which the state seized, using its emergency powers. READ MORE: Trump arrives in Everglades ahead of opening day for Florida-run immigration facility The 1,000-bed, taxpayer-funded facility is just east of Big Cypress National Preserve, which is federally protected land, and it's surrounded on three sides by Miccosukee and Seminole tribal infrastructure, including homes and ceremonial sites. The site, which officials describe as temporary, will consist primarily of large tents and trailers and is expected to house undocumented immigrants detained both within and outside Florida. DeSantis has repeatedly said that the facility will not expand beyond the existing concrete airstrip. The tents, officials say, were placed on new flooring above the hot asphalt.
Miami Herald
20-06-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
‘Living on pins and needles.' Second rescue flight from Israel lands in Florida
A second rescue flight carrying Floridians and other Americans stranded in Israel amid the ongoing conflict with Iran landed in Tampa early Friday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said. 'There are going to be more folks that are going to be rescued,' said DeSantis, calling the evacuation missions the 'most logistically challenging rescues' the state has done during his time as governor. This is 'an ongoing effort.' The state is working with several groups, including Tampa-based and veteran-led Grey Bull Rescue, to coordinate evacuation and rescue efforts as commercial flights to and from Israel are halted. Florida Sen. Jay Collins from Tampa, a retired Green Beret, is in Israel assisting the rescue group with the evacuation efforts. So far, Florida has flown over 300 people and 'we have put on a passenger ferry over 1,000 more,' said Kevin Guthrie, executive director of Florida's Division of Emergency Management, which oversees the state's response to hurricanes and other disasters. The people rescued have included families, veterans and college students. Guthrie said state officials and the rescue groups would not discuss logistic details of the rescue operations, citing safety issues for the people being evacuated and the rescuers. What a Broward man says about the rescue Broward County resident Josh Hammer, a Newsweek senior editor-at-large and host of 'The Josh Hammer Show' podcast, was one of many who arrived early Friday to Tampa. Hammer, who lives in Hallandale Beach, went to Israel about a week and half ago with his family and 6-month old baby girl to attend a family wedding. Then the airstrikes began. We were 'living on pins and needles for the sirens to go off,' with just '90 seconds to two minutes' to run into a bomb shelter, he said. 'The whole week has just been a total blur,' Hammer said at a Friday news conference. 'I feel like I'm not even here right now, physically.' Hammer shared more of his family's harrowing experience on the social media site X, which included crossing the border into Jordan and flying to Cyprus, an island nation in the Mediterranean Sea, before finally boarding a flight to Florida. 'Suffice it to say this was not the trip we had in mind. The past week has been absolutely crazy — especially with a six-month-old baby girl,' he said his post. 'None of this has been easy, to put it mildly. We will have some crazy stories for our daughter one day. Her first official passport stamp, humorously, is Jordan, since Israel doesn't stamp passports anymore.' Earlier this week, the U.S. State Department raised its travel advisory for Israel to Level 4, its highest level, and is warning U.S. citizens to not travel to the country 'due to armed conflict, terrorism, and civil unrest.' The West Bank and Gaza are also under the 'Do Not Travel' Level 4 advisory. This is the second time the DeSantis administration has helped get stranded Floridians out of Israel during conflict in the Middle East. In 2023, during the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the state helped fly out nearly 700 Americans from Israel. Florida is directing Americans who need help to get out of Israel to fill out a form at
Miami Herald
31-05-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
As Trump cuts FEMA, Florida says it will take care of residents
On the eve of hurricane season, Florida's top disaster official promised Floridians that they will see no changes to the state's hurricane response despite the turmoil at FEMA over staff cuts and proposed slashes to state disaster aid. Kevin Guthrie, the executive director of Florida's Division of Emergency Management, said it's not about money. Even if FEMA cuts the amount of cash it pays out to a state after a disaster, he stressed that state leaders 'have never, ever made decisions based on whether we're going to get reimbursed by the federal government.' 'You go out to protect life, safety. You go out to stabilize scenes. You go out to protect the environment. That is what we have been doing for decades inside Florida,' he said. 'That's what we're going to continue to do for the coming decades ahead.' READ MORE: Florida says it's ready for hurricane season, with or without FEMA's help Florida was smacked with two devastating storms last year, and forecasters say the upcoming hurricane season, which starts June 1, is set to be another active season. Greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, raising global temperatures that in turn lead to stronger, wetter and more deadly hurricanes. At a press conference Saturday in Fort Lauderdale, Guthrie said the state was fully prepared for the season — even if FEMA might not be. The agency is down more than 2,000 employees and a dozen senior leaders this year, as President Donald Trump pushes his new vision for the beleaguered agency. Part of that change involves shifting more responsibility — and costs — for disaster cleanup to the states. Already, FEMA has begun to act on that mission. Last week, the agency denied North Carolina's request to keep covering the entire tab for Hurricane Helene recovery. Instead, FEMA will continue helping with 75% of the costs, the bare minimum required. And yet, Guthrie said, Florida is prepared to accept the president's new vision for the agency, with the federal government still picking up the tab. It's unclear if Florida's annual budget includes more cash for storm recovery, as the legislature and governor have not yet agreed on one. Gov. Ron DeSantis asked Guthrie, as a member of the federal FEMA review council, to push FEMA to shift more of its state assistance to block grants that states like Florida can spend directly. Guthrie said the state is even considering preparing for the 'challenge' of directly giving cash to survivors after a disaster, a FEMA program known as individual assistance. 'We are already having these conversations about if the federal government allows us to run an individual assistance program, we're ready to get that done,' he said. 'We believe we can do it just as fast, if not faster than the federal government.'
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Florida has a ‘blueprint' to curb illegal immigration. Here's what's in it.
Florida officials have created and submitted to the federal government a 37-page plan that outlines one of the nation's most aggressive policies to curb illegal immigration. The document, called the Immigration Enforcement Operations Plan, details how the state should carry out mass deportations and serves as an example for other states across the nation. Larry Keefe, executive director of the State Board of Immigration Enforcement, has another name for it: the Florida Blueprint. 'We can do more,' Keefe said Monday in Tampa. 'We have more capacity, more capability.' The plan says it's 'a road map for the significant role that the state of Florida can play in aiding the federal government in combating illegal immigration during the present emergencies and going forward into the future.' Details of the plan were first reported Thursday by the news service Gannett. Among the plan's goals: Enhance intelligence collection and analysis by leveraging existing state databases and coordination between agencies. It includes providing resources for immigration and border security efforts at all levels. Florida has deployed representatives from an array of agencies, including the Division of Emergency Management, Department of Corrections and Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, to support the intelligence-sharing operations. The plan aims to develop a comprehensive strategy to maintain state-led border security operations in the absence of federal support. According to the plan, Florida has approximately 47,000 law enforcement officers who have already received, or are in the process of obtaining, training and certification to act as immigration officers under the 287(g) program, which allows local agencies to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement efforts. At an event in Tampa on Monday, Gov. Ron DeSantis said that 100 Florida Highway Patrol troopers have been sworn in as special deputy U.S. Marshals, a designation that allows them to act and operate with the same powers as an immigration agent. DeSantis said Florida can be an example for other states in fighting illegal immigration. 'If you look nationwide at all the law enforcement agencies that have entered in 287(g) agreements with the federal government, more than half of them are in one state. Guess what state that is? The state of Florida,' DeSantis said. The plan also considers training judge advocate generals as immigration judges through the Florida National Guard. It proposes suspending federal detention standards to avoid the risk that many could be released due to limited detention space, and to increase the state's capacity to arrest people. The plan proposes building more detention centers in parts of northeastern and south-central Florida, with the capacity to hold up to 10,000 people. These temporary or long-term facilities, selected for their access to nearby airstrips, could be constructed and 'fully operational within 72 hours,' using a network of about a dozen private contractors already working with the state, the plan indicates. The plan adds that Florida should prepare to move forward on its own, 'independently of the Department of Homeland Security,' and create a state-run immigration enforcement effort. The plan outlines some costs associated with transporting immigrants. One option: Purchasing and modifying 12-passenger vans at a cost of up to $124,000. Others include leasing a fleet of buses for about $1.5 million, or vans for nearly $780,000, over a two-week period. Florida National Guard or state law enforcement officers could be tapped to transport immigrants to detention facilities. The blueprint reintroduces the idea to run a self-deportation program and create some ways for the state government to cover the costs of people who choose to leave the country voluntarily. The Division of Emergency Management, it states, may be able to help purchase commercial flights for eligible individuals. The plan said that the state should seek reimbursement from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for any transportation and removal efforts involving detainees. But it also acknowledges that it may not be fully repaid. 'The federal government has shown itself to be very hesitant to commit to any form of reimbursement to past or future immigration operations,' the plan reads. 'There may come a time when, without federal assistance, a long-term immigration support mission may become fiscally untenable.' Lisette Sanchez, an immigration attorney in Tampa, said the Florida plan is alarming not only from a constitutional and legal standpoint, she said, but also from a humanitarian and operational perspective. Sanchez recognized the importance of addressing immigration challenges. However, she said the Florida plan raises 'serious concerns.' 'This approach appears to blur the lines between state and federal authority, potentially leading to constitutional conflicts and due process issues,' said Sanchez.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
State Emergency Response Commission discuss western NC recovery efforts following Helene
RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — Hurricane season starts in a little more than a month, and state leaders are gathering to give an update on Helene recovery. It's been nearly 7 months since Helene ravaged Western North Carolina, leaving behind flooded roads and destroyed buildings. The meeting comes just as Governor Josh Stein appealed FEMA's decision not to renew 100 percent match of recovery funding from the storm. NC Governor Stein appeals FEMA decision to not renew 100% match for Helene recovery There are scenes that Justin Graney, Chief of External Affairs and Communications with the Division of Emergency Management, will never forget. 'It was the largest response in North Carolina history for the worst disaster in North Carolina history with thousands of responders coming into the area. Over 3,300 searchers working in Western North Carolina in the immediate aftermath of Helene,' said Graney. Nearly seven months after the storm, recovery is still a top priority. Members of the State Emergency Response Commission (SERC) joined together to discuss recovery efforts. Graney says since the storm hit, over six million cubic yards of debris have been removed and over 8,000 private roadways and bridge projects have been awarded. Graney also told the commission that almost $100 million has been appropriated for the state's private road and bridge program that was established to help property owners repair private roads and bridges damaged during the storm. 'We're working closely with the volunteer organizations that have come into the area and have signed on to assist as well as bringing on consultants and engineers to facilitate that for small communities, homeowners, community centers that had a private bridge that was either damaged or destroyed to make sure that we get those repaired and in place. With cuts to federal funding, Graney is keeping faith that it doesn't affect the progress toward recovery efforts in the western part of the state. 'We're also extremely committed to learning every lesson we can, however it takes financial investment,' said Graney. 'We need to make sure that we're investing in local emergency management programs as well as the state program to make sure that we can fill these gaps so we can procure the right resources, the right assets and we can train the right personnel to make sure that we take these lessons learned so that we're more ready next time.' Garney says the state is currently working on an after-action review where they will assess what went well in response to the storm and provide recommendations to improve. He says the Department of Emergency Management plans to release the report to the public soon. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
