Latest news with #ImmigrationEnforcementOperationsPlan
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘Alligator Alcatraz': What to know about Florida Everglades migrant detention site
The Trump administration and Florida leaders are moving forward with a plan to build a detention facility on a remote site nestled in the state's swampy Everglades to hold undocumented migrants awaiting deportation. The site, dubbed 'Alligator Alcatraz,' could open with soft-sided holding units for hundreds of detainees in the coming days through a partnership where the federal government will provide funding and the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) will oversee the build out and management. Additional holding units will be added through next month, under the agreement. The facility is projected to cost about $450 million a year, which will come from the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Shelter and Services Program that was used to house asylum-seekers during the Biden administration. 'Under President Trump's leadership, we are working at turbo speed on cost-effective and innovative ways to deliver on the American people's mandate for mass deportations of criminal illegal aliens,' Department Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement this week. 'We will expand facilities and bed space in just days, thanks to our partnership with Florida.' The DHS-approved plans will allow the new Florida facility to hold immigrants arrested in the Sunshine State, as well as transfers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers. The Florida state flag waving along with the USA flag. (Getty Images) Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis's (R) administration pitched the partnership to the federal government in a 37-page 'Immigration Enforcement Operations Plan' earlier this year outlining the state's requests for reimbursements and looser restrictions on addressing unauthorized immigration. 'Governor DeSantis has insisted that the state of Florida, under his leadership, will facilitate the federal government in enforcing immigration law,' the governor's office said in a statement to The Hill. 'Utilizing this space and/or others around the state, Florida will continue to lead in immigration enforcement.' In the partnership proposal, Florida officials noted that the state's 'geographic position, ambient culture, and the confluence of three major interstate highways (I-10, I-75 and I-95) have made it attractive to criminal organizations smuggling everything from aliens to drugs to guns and money.' A July 2024 Pew Research Center report on unauthorized immigrant communities in the U.S. found that Florida's swelled by at least 400,000 people from 2019 to 2022 — more than any other state in the country — and estimate its total undocumented migrant population at about 1.2 million. The Florida proposal argued 'the nature and vast scope of the illegal alien presence deserves a rethinking of detention processes and standards' and urged the Trump administration to waive some ICE detention standards. Isolated Everglades airfield outside Miami that Florida officials said an immigration detention facility dubbed 'Alligator Alcatraz' is just days away from being operational. (Courtesy of the Office of Attorney General James Uthmeier via AP) The Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport, located in Ochopee, Fla. — about 36 miles south of Miami — is owned by the Miami-Dade County government. The nearly 40-square-mile site was first developed in the late 1960s with plans to become a major hub, but the project fizzled because of environmental concerns, leaving just a single strip that has been used as a training site and for rare general aviation needs. Florida officials touted the strip as a benefit because it will allow migrants to be flown into and out of the holding facility without much disruption. In a video coining the site a potential 'Alligator Alcatraz,' Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier (R) highlighted its remote location as a bonus. 'People get out, there's not much waiting for them other than alligators and pythons —nowhere to go, nowhere to hide,' Uthmeier said in a video shared on social platform X. 'Within just 30 to 60 days after we begin construction, it could be up and running and could house as many as 1,000 criminal aliens.' Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier speaks at the Florida Capitol in Tallahassee, Fla., on March 5, 2025. FDEM initially offered to buy the Dade-Collier Airport from Miami-Dade County, but DeSantis's administration couldn't reach an agreement with local leaders on the price, so the state instead moved to take it over, using the governor's emergency authority. FDEM executive director Kevin Guthrie wrote in a letter to Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava (D) on Monday that the agency would 'begin immediate utilization of the improved area of the site, as I now deem it necessary to meet the Division's currentoperational demands in coping with the emergency.' 'Time is of the essence,' Guthrie wrote. 'We must act swiftly to ensure readiness and continuity in our statewide operations to assist the federal government with immigration enforcement.' The director added that the state would maintain control of the site as long as DeSantis's state emergency declaration over immigration remains in effect. DeSantis's initial declaration was issued in June 2023, citing 'mass migration of unauthorized aliens, including the associated abandonment of vessels, without appropriate support from the federal government, [that] has created an unmanageable strain on local resources and will continue to overburden the capabilities of local governments throughout the state.' He has renewed the order in 60-day intervals, as required under Florida law, in the months that followed. The most recent extension was issued June 3 and will expire Aug. 2, unless it is again extended. Miami Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava speaks Wednesday, June 11, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier) Levine Cava, who has been the Miami-Dade mayor since 2020, told The Hill in a statement that she's concerned that state government is moving too fast on the project without fully evaluating its impact. 'We understand that state agencies under the Governor's direction have broad authority to take action under declared states of emergency, but the rapid pace of this effort has provided little opportunity for due diligence given the potential significant impacts to our community,' she said. The mayor highlighted the potential environmental harm the facility could have on the surrounding Everglades. 'The state of Florida, alongside the federal government, has invested billions of dollars – including $6.5 billion under Governor DeSantis's leadership – in Everglades restoration, given the critical importance of the Everglades not only to our environment and clean drinking water, but as the bedrock foundation of our state's $1 trillion tourism economy,' Levine Cava continued. 'The Governor's office has stated 'operations on site will be completely self-contained,' but we continue to have concerns about how a facility at this scale can operate without impacts to the surrounding ecosystem.' She also pointed out the state initially offered to purchase the property for $20 million, which is about a 10th of the value according to the most recent property appraisal. 'Given financial strain the County is facing, in part due to continued pressure from proposed state budget reductions and demands on local revenue, it is critical that we maximize the value of all taxpayer assets on behalf of our residents,' the mayor wrote. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
25-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
‘Alligator Alcatraz': What to know about Florida Everglades migrant detention site
The Trump administration and Florida leaders are moving forward with a plan to build a detention facility on a remote site nestled in the state's swampy Everglades to hold undocumented migrants awaiting deportation. The site, dubbed 'Alligator Alcatraz,' could open with soft-sided holding units for hundreds of detainees in the coming days through a partnership where the federal government will provide funding and the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) will oversee the build out and management. Additional holding units will be added through next month, under the agreement. The facility is projected to cost about $450 million a year, which will come from the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Shelter and Services Program that was used to house asylum-seekers during the Biden administration. 'Under President Trump's leadership, we are working at turbo speed on cost-effective and innovative ways to deliver on the American people's mandate for mass deportations of criminal illegal aliens,' Department Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement this week. 'We will expand facilities and bed space in just days, thanks to our partnership with Florida.' The DHS-approved plans will allow the new Florida facility to hold immigrants arrested in the Sunshine State, as well as transfers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers. The Florida state flag waving along with the USA flag. (Getty Images) Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis's (R) administration pitched the partnership to the federal government in a 37-page 'Immigration Enforcement Operations Plan' earlier this year outlining the state's requests for reimbursements and looser restrictions on addressing unauthorized immigration. 'Governor DeSantis has insisted that the state of Florida, under his leadership, will facilitate the federal government in enforcing immigration law,' the governor's office said in a statement to The Hill. 'Utilizing this space and/or others around the state, Florida will continue to lead in immigration enforcement.' In the partnership proposal, Florida officials noted that the state's 'geographic position, ambient culture, and the confluence of three major interstate highways (I-10, I-75 and I-95) have made it attractive to criminal organizations smuggling everything from aliens to drugs to guns and money.' A July 2024 Pew Research Center report on unauthorized immigrant communities in the U.S. found that Florida's swelled by at least 400,000 people from 2019 to 2022 — more than any other state in the country — and estimate its total undocumented migrant population at about 1.2 million. The Florida proposal argued 'the nature and vast scope of the illegal alien presence deserves a rethinking of detention processes and standards' and urged the Trump administration to waive some ICE detention standards. Isolated Everglades airfield outside Miami that Florida officials said an immigration detention facility dubbed 'Alligator Alcatraz' is just days away from being operational. (Courtesy of the Office of Attorney General James Uthmeier via AP) The Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport, located in Ochopee, Fla. — about 36 miles south of Miami — is owned by the Miami-Dade County government. The nearly 40-square-mile site was first developed in the late 1960s with plans to become a major hub, but the project fizzled because of environmental concerns, leaving just a single strip that has been used as a training site and for rare general aviation needs. Florida officials touted the strip as a benefit because it will allow migrants to be flown into and out of the holding facility without much disruption. In a video coining the site a potential 'Alligator Alcatraz,' Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier (R) highlighted its remote location as a bonus. 'People get out, there's not much waiting for them other than alligators and pythons —nowhere to go, nowhere to hide,' Uthmeier said in a video shared on social platform X. 'Within just 30 to 60 days after we begin construction, it could be up and running and could house as many as 1,000 criminal aliens.' Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier speaks at the Florida Capitol in Tallahassee, Fla., on March 5, 2025. FDEM initially offered to buy the Dade-Collier Airport from Miami-Dade County, but DeSantis's administration couldn't reach an agreement with local leaders on the price, so the state instead moved to take it over, using the governor's emergency authority. FDEM executive director Kevin Guthrie wrote in a letter to Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava (D) on Monday that the agency would 'begin immediate utilization of the improved area of the site, as I now deem it necessary to meet the Division's currentoperational demands in coping with the emergency.' 'Time is of the essence,' Guthrie wrote. 'We must act swiftly to ensure readiness and continuity in our statewide operations to assist the federal government with immigration enforcement.' The director added that the state would maintain control of the site as long as DeSantis's state emergency declaration over immigration remains in effect. DeSantis's initial declaration was issued in June 2023, citing 'mass migration of unauthorized aliens, including the associated abandonment of vessels, without appropriate support from the federal government, [that] has created an unmanageable strain on local resources and will continue to overburden the capabilities of local governments throughout the state.' He has renewed the order in 60-day intervals, as required under Florida law, in the months that followed. The most recent extension was issued June 3 and will expire Aug. 2, unless it is again extended. Miami Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava speaks Wednesday, June 11, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier) Levine Cava, who has been the Miami-Dade mayor since 2020, told The Hill in a statement that she's concerned that state government is moving too fast on the project without fully evaluating its impact. 'We understand that state agencies under the Governor's direction have broad authority to take action under declared states of emergency, but the rapid pace of this effort has provided little opportunity for due diligence given the potential significant impacts to our community,' she said. The mayor highlighted the potential environmental harm the facility could have on the surrounding Everglades. 'The state of Florida, alongside the federal government, has invested billions of dollars – including $6.5 billion under Governor DeSantis's leadership – in Everglades restoration, given the critical importance of the Everglades not only to our environment and clean drinking water, but as the bedrock foundation of our state's $1 trillion tourism economy,' Levine Cava continued. 'The Governor's office has stated 'operations on site will be completely self-contained,' but we continue to have concerns about how a facility at this scale can operate without impacts to the surrounding ecosystem.' She also pointed out the state initially offered to purchase the property for $20 million, which is about a 10th of the value according to the most recent property appraisal. 'Given financial strain the County is facing, in part due to continued pressure from proposed state budget reductions and demands on local revenue, it is critical that we maximize the value of all taxpayer assets on behalf of our residents,' the mayor wrote.
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.
The Herald Scotland
13-05-2025
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
ICE raids, mass deportation 'new normal' in Florida and the nation
"The techniques, the methods ... will be the standard that our brother and sister states apply in the effort," he said. At the lectern, Keefe showed off a 37-page document that he called the "Florida blueprint" to mass deportation. The State of Florida Immigration Enforcement Operations Plan, he said, will be the "prototype." "Operation Tidal Wave" was a week-long sting by U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, Florida law enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security that targeted areas with high-immigrant populations. It led to the arrest of more than 1,100 people, include a man who had no known criminal record and had recently played Jesus in his church's Easter play. According to records reviewed by the Miami Herald, authorities aimed to detain 800 people in Miami-Dade and Broward counties and the cities of Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville, Stuart, Tallahassee and Fort Myers. On May 9, President Donald Trump issued a proclamation that established "Project Homecoming": "Either leave the United States voluntarily, with the support and financial assistance of the federal government, or remain and face the consequences," the proclamation states. And the proclamation states that, on July 8, the Secretary of Homeland Security "shall supplement existing enforcement and removal operations by deputizing and contracting with State and local law enforcement officers, former federal officers, officers and personnel within other federal agencies, and other individuals to increase the enforcement and removal operations force of the Department of Homeland Security by no less than 20,000 officers in order to conduct an intensive campaign to remove illegal aliens who have failed to depart voluntarily." Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles Director Dave Kerner said 1,800 Florida Highway Patrol troopers are credentialed with 287(g) enforcement authority and Florida's law enforcement already makes up 10% of the 20,000 officers mentioned in the proclamation. "If you see a state trooper, he or she has federal authority to detain, investigate, apprehend and deport," Kerner said. The Florida Highway Patrol has assisted or has been the primary arresting agency in over 1,020 immigrants who were in the country illegally, he added. Gov. Ron DeSantis, also at the Tampa event, said Florida is leading the country but other states need to do more: "There may be a lot of somersaults along the way by some of these guys; there may be some gnashing of teeth for some people in the process, but I imagine we're going to land basically where we need to land as a state," he said. Ana Goni-Lessan, state watchdog reporter for the USA TODAY Network - Florida, can be reached at agonilessan@
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
ICE raids, mass deportation are 'the new normal,' modeled after Florida
Florida officials called Operation Tidal Wave, where over 1,000 migrants were detained in five days, the "new normal." And not just for the Sunshine State, but for the rest of the country. Within the next 60 days, the federal government will attempt to put into practice an approach to mass deportation that's "strikingly similar" to Operation Tidal Wave, said Larry Keefe, executive director of the State Board of Immigration Enforcement, at a press conference in Tampa May 12. "The techniques, the methods … will be the standard that our brother and sister states apply in the effort," he said. At the lectern, Keefe showed off a 37-page document that he called the "Florida blueprint" to mass deportation. The State of Florida Immigration Enforcement Operations Plan, he said, will be the "prototype." "Operation Tidal Wave" was a week-long sting by U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, Florida law enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security that targeted areas with high-immigrant populations. It led to the arrest of more than 1,100 people, include a man who had no known criminal record and had recently played Jesus in his church's Easter play. According to records reviewed by the Miami Herald, authorities aimed to detain 800 people in Miami-Dade and Broward counties and the cities of Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville, Stuart, Tallahassee and Fort Myers. On May 9, President Donald Trump issued a proclamation that established "Project Homecoming": "Either leave the United States voluntarily, with the support and financial assistance of the federal government, or remain and face the consequences," the proclamation states. And the proclamation states that, on July 8, the Secretary of Homeland Security "shall supplement existing enforcement and removal operations by deputizing and contracting with State and local law enforcement officers, former federal officers, officers and personnel within other federal agencies, and other individuals to increase the enforcement and removal operations force of the Department of Homeland Security by no less than 20,000 officers in order to conduct an intensive campaign to remove illegal aliens who have failed to depart voluntarily." Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles Director Dave Kerner said 1,800 Florida Highway Patrol troopers are credentialed with 287(g) enforcement authority and Florida's law enforcement already makes up 10% of the 20,000 officers mentioned in the proclamation. "If you see a state trooper, he or she has federal authority to detain, investigate, apprehend and deport," Kerner said. The Florida Highway Patrol has assisted or has been the primary arresting agency in over 1,020 immigrants who were in the country illegally, he added. Gov. Ron DeSantis, also at the Tampa event, said Florida is leading the country but other states need to do more: "There may be a lot of somersaults along the way by some of these guys; there may be some gnashing of teeth for some people in the process, but I imagine we're going to land basically where we need to land as a state," he said. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: ICE raids, mass deportation 'new normal' in Florida and the nation
