Latest news with #FloridaNationalGuard
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
About 70 National Guard troops activated to protect Alligator Alcatraz
Just fewer than 70 Florida National Guard troops have been sent to guard the remote migrant detention center in the state's Everglades known as 'Alligator Alcatraz,' the Pentagon's top spokesperson announced Wednesday. 'Nearly 70 Florida National Guard are on state active duty … conducting base camp security at Alligator Alcatraz,' chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell told reporters. The activation comes after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said he would send 100 guard troops there, with people arriving at the facility as early as Wednesday. President Trump on Tuesday toured the site in southern Florida at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport, saying afterward the complex is 'surrounded by miles of treacherous swampland and the only way out is really deportation.' The facility, estimated to cost $450 million annually, will hold migrants awaiting deportation and could house around 5,000 people, officials have claimed. But Democrats have denounced the complex, with Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) describing the site as an 'internment camp,' and 24 House Democrats on Wednesday began lobbying for the site's closure. 'They target migrants, rip families apart, and subject people to conditions that amount to physical and psychological torture in facilities that can only be described as hell on Earth,' Frost said in a statement last week. 'Now, they want to erect tents in the blazing Everglades sun and call it immigration enforcement. They don't care if people live or die; they only care about cruelty and spectacle.' Trump has increasingly used the military in his immigration crackdown, placing 8,500 service members at the U.S.-Mexico border and 5,000 in Los Angeles to protect Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents who have received pushback due to their sweeping immigration raids. Deportations are expected to ramp up after Senate Republicans overnight advanced a major spending package that injects tens of billions of dollars into immigration enforcement spending. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Business Standard
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Business Standard
Self-deport or face detention with alligators, pythons: US warns migrants
A newly constructed immigration detention centre in the depths of the Florida Everglades, nicknamed 'Alligator Alcatraz', is all set to house hundreds of detainees. Florida officials said the first group of migrants will be brought in by bus over the next few days. The facility, located around 80 km west of Miami, sits in an area swarming with pythons and alligators. It has become a key part of the Trump administration's push to step up deportations and deter undocumented migration. 'If you (undocumented immigrants) don't self-deport, you may end up here,' South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem told the New York Post. 'And you may end up here and being processed, deported out of this country, and never get the chance to come back,' she added. Trump wants similar centres in more states On July 2, US President Donald Trump toured the detention facility and described it as a possible template for other immigration lockups across the country. Speaking to reporters, Trump said he'd like to see 'similar centres in really, many states,' and also floated the idea of using Florida National Guard members as immigration judges to speed up deportation hearings. 'Pretty soon, this facility will handle the most menacing migrants, some of the most vicious people on the planet,' Trump said. During the visit, Trump also made a joke about the wildlife around the centre. 'We're going to teach them how to run away from an alligator if they escape prison,' he said, while mimicking a zigzag motion with his hand. 'Don't run in a straight line. Run like this. And you know what? Your chances go up about 1 per cent.' According to the University of Florida, the better option in the rare event of an alligator chase is simply to run straight and fast in one direction. While early estimates suggested the site could accommodate 5,000 people, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis clarified that the actual capacity would be closer to 3,000. Push for voluntary departure via mobile app As part of the broader crackdown, the Trump administration has repurposed a mobile app once used for scheduling asylum appointments. The app, now called CBP Home, allows undocumented migrants to submit an 'intent to depart'. US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said the feature offers a chance to leave voluntarily, which could help migrants avoid harsher penalties in the future. Daily fines for overstaying deportation orders The Department of Homeland Security has also revived a little-used law from 1996 that penalises individuals who fail to comply with deportation orders. 'If they don't, they will face the consequences. This includes a fine of $998 per day for every day that the illegal alien overstayed their final deportation order,' DHS posted on X on April 11. The rule had been enforced briefly in 2018 and is now being brought back with the possibility of retroactive application for up to five years.
The Hill
02-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
About 70 National Guard troops activated to protect Alligator Alcatraz
Just fewer than 70 Florida National Guard troops have been sent to guard the remote migrant detention center in the state's Everglades known as 'Alligator Alcatraz,' the Pentagon's top spokesperson announced Wednesday. 'Nearly 70 Florida National Guard are on state active duty … conducting base camp security at Alligator Alcatraz,' chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell told reporters. The activation comes after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said he would send 100 Guard troops there, with people arriving at the facility as early as Wednesday. President Trump on Tuesday toured the site in southern Florida at the Miami-Dade Collier Training and Transition Airport, afterwards saying the complex is 'surrounded by miles of treacherous swampland and the only way out is really deportation.' The facility, estimated to cost $450 million annually, will hold migrants awaiting deportation and could house around 5,000 people, officials have claimed. But Democrats have denounced the complex, with Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) describing the site as an 'internment camp,' and 24 House Democrats on Wednesday began lobbying for the site's closure. 'They target migrants, rip families apart, and subject people to conditions that amount to physical and psychological torture in facilities that can only be described as hell on Earth,' Frost said in a statement last week. 'Now, they want to erect tents in the blazing Everglades sun and call it immigration enforcement. They don't care if people live or die; they only care about cruelty and spectacle.' Trump has increasingly used the military in his immigration crackdown, placing 8,500 service members at the U.S.-Mexico border and 5,000 in Los Angeles to protect Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents that have received pushback due to their sweeping immigration raids. Deportations are expected to ramp up after Senate Republicans overnight advanced a major spending package that injects tens of billions of dollars into immigration enforcement spending.
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Business Standard
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Business Standard
Inside Alligator Alcatraz, Trump's migrant detention camp in Florida swamps
A remote detention centre built deep in Florida's Everglades and surrounded by alligator-infested swamps has become the latest flashpoint in America's immigration debate. President Donald Trump visited the centre, dubbed 'Alligator Alcatraz', on Tuesday, alongside Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. The facility has earned its nickname for its extreme isolation, natural barriers, and militarised infrastructure. Located nearly 80 km west of Miami on a secluded airstrip, the centre was constructed in just eight days, covering 16 km of swampy terrain with barbed wire, 200 security cameras, and 400 security personnel, Associated Press reported. Facility details and future plans Designed to house up to 5,000 migrants, Governor DeSantis clarified that the centre will initially detain around 3,000 people, with the first arrivals expected soon. Medical facilities and other administrative units have already been set up. Trump floated the idea of replicating the model elsewhere, calling it 'perfect'. 'Pretty soon, this facility will handle the most menacing migrants, some of the most vicious people on the planet,' he said, as quoted by Associated Press. He also proposed the use of Florida National Guard troops as immigration judges to accelerate deportations — and even went further to suggest deporting US citizens convicted of violent crimes. '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. 'Alligator guards' and swamp-bound security Touring the site, Trump described it as a prototype for future migrant detention camps, quipping that the surrounding Everglades wildlife doubled as guards. 'A lot of bodyguards and a lot of cops in the form of alligators — you don't have to pay them so much… I wouldn't want to run through the Everglades for long. It will keep people where they're supposed to be,' he said. 'We're surrounded by miles of treacherous swampland and the only way out is really deportation.' During his visit, Trump toured medical facilities and other areas of the camp, followed by a roundtable discussion. 'We're going to teach them how to run away from an alligator if they escape prison,' Trump said, moving his hand in a zigzag motion. 'Don't run in a straight line. Run like this… And you know what? Your chances go up about 1 per cent.' US President Donald Trump visits a temporary migrant detention centre, informally known as "Alligator Alcatraz", in Florida. (Photo: X/White House) Protests and environmental backlash Trump's visit was met with large-scale protests. Hundreds of environmentalists, human rights advocates, and Indigenous groups demonstrated against the facility's location and the administration's immigration policies. Protesters raised alarms about damage to endangered species, the ecological balance of the Everglades, and the threat to Native American heritage sites. Trump dismissed the environmental concerns, saying, 'There was already an airstrip in the area, which meant authorities won't be dropping dirt... Frankly, it's, like, perfect. I don't think you're doing anything to the Everglades. You're just enhancing it.' A symbol of Trump's immigration vision The visit is part of Trump's broader immigration campaign. During his presidency, he reportedly discussed building a moat with alligators at the southern border, a claim he denied. He has more recently floated reopening Alcatraz or using Guantanamo Bay and a prison in El Salvador for migrant detention.
India Today
02-07-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Video: Trump calls Biden 'son of a b***h' while touring newly opened migrant camp
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday, during a tour of a newly constructed migrant detention facility dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz" in the Florida Everglades, claimed that Joe Biden "wanted me in here," referring to the fenced detention alongside Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Trump called Biden a "son of a bitch" and blamed him for efforts to jail Biden wanted me in here," Trump said as Kristi Noem and DeSantis, who laughed beside him. "He wanted me. It didn't work out, but he wanted me in here," Trump said again. Subsequently, Trump could clearly be heard saying, "That son of a bitch," under his breath live on the White House to ICE detention: Trump says, "Biden wanted me in here, that son of a b*tch." Thalvox (@Thalvox) July 1, 2025 Trump has faced four criminal cases tied to classified documents and the 2020 election aftermath, charges he claims were politically motivated by the Biden administration. Biden, who ended his re-election bid in July 2024 amid growing concern over his cognitive health, has denied any involvement in the during the tour of immigration detention center deep in Florida's Everglades, surrounded by alligator-infested swamps and nicknamed 'Alligator Alcatraz,' Trump joked that any escapees from the facility would have to outrun the the site 'very appropriate' and 'escape-proof,' Trump said he wants similar centers in 'many states' and even floated the idea of deporting some US citizens. He also suggested the Florida National Guard could help speed up deportations by serving as immigration judges.'This place will soon house some of the most menacing migrants on the planet,' Trump declared. 'The only way out, really, is deportation,' he the remote airstrip facility, lined with tents and trailers, hundreds of protesters gathered, demanding humane treatment for migrants and raising environmental concerns about the Everglades, which are home to endangered species and Native American tribes.- EndsTune InMust Watch IN THIS STORY#Donald Trump#Joe Biden#United States of America
