Latest news with #US450
Perth Now
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Perth Now
Grim look inside Trump's ‘Alligator Alcatraz' facility
New footage from Donald Trump's so-called 'Alligator Alcatraz' offers a bleak glimpse inside the newly established migrant centre hidden deep in the Florida Everglades, where US authorities plan to detain up to 5000 people in wire cages. Video captured during a tour led by the US President shows rows upon rows of empty bunk beds lined up inside the controversial facility, each enclosed within cages built from chain-link fencing. It is located around 60km from Miami, in a vast subtropical wetland full of alligators, crocodiles, and pythons. 'I looked outside, and that's not a place I want to go hiking anytime soon,' Mr Trump told reporters after his tour. 'We're surrounded by miles of treacherous swampland, and the only way out is really deportation.' If you'd like to view this content, please adjust your . To find out more about how we use cookies, please see our Cookie Guide. The complex in southern Florida at the Miami-Dade Collier Training and Transition Airport is estimated to cost $US450 million a year ($AU684 million) to operate, with the first migrants arriving as early as Wednesday (local time). Mr Trump raved about the quick construction of the new compound, saying, 'It might be as good as the real Alcatraz'. 'It's a little controversial, but I couldn't care less,' he added. Mr Trump was joined by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis when he told reporters he'd like to see more facilities like 'Alligator Alcatraz' opened in 'more states'. In a tour led by the US President, rows upon rows of empty bunk beds enclosed in chain-link fencing can be seen. Credit: Evan Vucci / AP In promoting the opening of the facility, the White House posted on social media images of alligators wearing Immigration and Customs Enforcement hats. If you'd like to view this content, please adjust your . To find out more about how we use cookies, please see our Cookie Guide. Mr DeSantis has described the push to build the facility as Florida's continued effort to align the state with the Trump Administration's immigration crackdown. Inside the facility there is reportedly a recreation zone, which is inside a large tent with air conditioning and artificial grass, according to NBC who attended a tour. If you'd like to view this content, please adjust your . To find out more about how we use cookies, please see our Cookie Guide. US media outlets on the tour were told that a law library would be installed but this was not shown to reporters. There has been significant pushback from Democrats, immigration advocates and Florida lawmakers who see the project as inhumane and destructive to the Everglades ecosystem. They have fiercely objected to detaining people in the middle of a swamp surrounded by dangerous animals in the blistering Florida heat. 'The impacts this would have to the Everglades ecosystem could be devastating,' Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said. Mark Fleming, the Associate Director of Federal Litigation at the National Immigrant Justice Centre, also expressed concern about the facility. 'The fact that the administration and its allies would even consider such a huge temporary facility on such a short timeline, with no obvious plan for how to adequately staff medical and other necessary services, in the middle of the Florida summer heat is demonstrative of their callous disregard for the health and safety of the human beings they intend to imprison there,' he said. 'It simply shocks the conscience.'
West Australian
03-07-2025
- Politics
- West Australian
Alligator Alcatraz: Inside US President Donald Trump's controversial migrant detention centre in Florida
New footage from Donald Trump's so-called 'Alligator Alcatraz' offers a bleak glimpse inside the newly established migrant centre hidden deep in the Florida Everglades, where US authorities plan to detain up to 5000 people in wire cages. Video captured during a tour led by the US President shows rows upon rows of empty bunk beds lined up inside the controversial facility, each enclosed within cages built from chain-link fencing. It is located around 60km from Miami, in a vast subtropical wetland full of alligators, crocodiles, and pythons. 'I looked outside, and that's not a place I want to go hiking anytime soon,' Mr Trump told reporters after his tour. 'We're surrounded by miles of treacherous swampland, and the only way out is really deportation.' The complex in southern Florida at the Miami-Dade Collier Training and Transition Airport is estimated to cost $US450 million a year ($AU684 million) to operate, with the first migrants arriving as early as Wednesday (local time). Mr Trump raved about the quick construction of the new compound, saying, 'It might be as good as the real Alcatraz'. 'It's a little controversial, but I couldn't care less,' he added. Mr Trump was joined by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis when he told reporters he'd like to see more facilities like 'Alligator Alcatraz' opened in 'more states'. In promoting the opening of the facility, the White House posted on social media images of alligators wearing Immigration and Customs Enforcement hats. Mr DeSantis has described the push to build the facility as Florida's continued effort to align the state with the Trump Administration's immigration crackdown. Inside the facility there is reportedly a recreation zone, which is inside a large tent with air conditioning and artificial grass, according to NBC who attended a tour. US media outlets on the tour were told that a law library would be installed but this was not shown to reporters. There has been significant pushback from Democrats, immigration advocates and Florida lawmakers who see the project as inhumane and destructive to the Everglades ecosystem. They have fiercely objected to detaining people in the middle of a swamp surrounded by dangerous animals in the blistering Florida heat. 'The impacts this would have to the Everglades ecosystem could be devastating,' Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said. Mark Fleming, the Associate Director of Federal Litigation at the National Immigrant Justice Centre, also expressed concern about the facility. 'The fact that the administration and its allies would even consider such a huge temporary facility on such a short timeline, with no obvious plan for how to adequately staff medical and other necessary services, in the middle of the Florida summer heat is demonstrative of their callous disregard for the health and safety of the human beings they intend to imprison there,' he said. 'It simply shocks the conscience.'
Sydney Morning Herald
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘Alligator Alcatraz': Florida's $690m plan to help Trump's immigration crackdown
Washington: Florida is building a detention facility for migrants, nicknamed 'Alligator Alcatraz', turning an airfield in the Everglades into the newest – and scariest-sounding – holding centre designed to help the Trump administration carry out its immigration crackdown. The remote facility, composed of large tents and other planned facilities, would cost the state about $US450 million ($690 million) a year to run, but Florida could request some reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said. Florida Attorney-General James Uthmeier – a Trump ally who has pushed to build the detention centre in the Everglades – has said the state would not need to invest much in security because the area was surrounded by dangerous wildlife, including alligators and pythons. A spokesperson for the attorney-general said work on the new facility started this week. The project is sure to appeal to US President Donald Trump, who talked repeatedly during his first term about building a moat along the southern border filled with alligators or snakes. As he pushed for a wall to keep migrants out, he urged officials to build it with spikes, razor wire and black paint to ensure that it would serve as a deterrent – the more terrifying-looking, the better. And since resuming office this year, Trump has already sent migrants to Guantanamo Bay, the symbol for America's worst enemies, and to a mega-prison in El Salvador. The Everglades facility is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to enlist local authorities to boost detention capacity and expand the number of officers around the country who can arrest immigrants living in the country illegally. The Trump administration has struggled to meet its mass deportation goals in part because of resource constraints, and it is looking for every way to help increase numbers. The goal in Florida is to have 5000 additional beds, spread out at the new facility and potentially other, smaller facilities as well.
The Age
25-06-2025
- Politics
- The Age
‘Alligator Alcatraz': Florida's $690m plan to help Trump's immigration crackdown
Washington: Florida is building a detention facility for migrants, nicknamed 'Alligator Alcatraz', turning an airfield in the Everglades into the newest – and scariest-sounding – holding centre designed to help the Trump administration carry out its immigration crackdown. The remote facility, composed of large tents and other planned facilities, would cost the state about $US450 million ($690 million) a year to run, but Florida could request some reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said. Florida Attorney-General James Uthmeier – a Trump ally who has pushed to build the detention centre in the Everglades – has said the state would not need to invest much in security because the area was surrounded by dangerous wildlife, including alligators and pythons. A spokesperson for the attorney-general said work on the new facility started this week. The project is sure to appeal to US President Donald Trump, who talked repeatedly during his first term about building a moat along the southern border filled with alligators or snakes. As he pushed for a wall to keep migrants out, he urged officials to build it with spikes, razor wire and black paint to ensure that it would serve as a deterrent – the more terrifying-looking, the better. And since resuming office this year, Trump has already sent migrants to Guantanamo Bay, the symbol for America's worst enemies, and to a mega-prison in El Salvador. The Everglades facility is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to enlist local authorities to boost detention capacity and expand the number of officers around the country who can arrest immigrants living in the country illegally. The Trump administration has struggled to meet its mass deportation goals in part because of resource constraints, and it is looking for every way to help increase numbers. The goal in Florida is to have 5000 additional beds, spread out at the new facility and potentially other, smaller facilities as well.
Sydney Morning Herald
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘Alligator Alcatraz': Florida to build immigration detention centre in swampy Everglades
Washington: Florida is building a detention facility for migrants, nicknamed 'Alligator Alcatraz', turning an airfield in the Everglades into the newest – and scariest-sounding – holding centre designed to help the Trump administration carry out its immigration crackdown. The remote facility, composed of large tents and other planned facilities, would cost the state about $US450 million ($690 million) a year to run, but Florida could request some reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said. Florida Attorney-General James Uthmeier – a Trump ally who has pushed to build the detention centre in the Everglades – has said the state would not need to invest much in security because the area was surrounded by dangerous wildlife, including alligators and pythons. A spokesperson for the attorney-general said work on the new facility started this week. The project is sure to appeal to US President Donald Trump, who talked repeatedly during his first term about building a moat along the southern border filled with alligators or snakes. As he pushed for a wall to keep migrants out, he urged officials to build it with spikes, razor wire and black paint to ensure that it would serve as a deterrent – the more terrifying-looking, the better. And since resuming office this year, Trump has already sent migrants to Guantanamo Bay, the symbol for America's worst enemies, and to a mega-prison in El Salvador. The Everglades facility is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to enlist local authorities to boost detention capacity and expand the number of officers around the country who can arrest immigrants living in the country illegally. The Trump administration has struggled to meet its mass deportation goals in part because of resource constraints, and it is looking for every way to help increase numbers. The goal in Florida is to have 5000 additional beds, spread out at the new facility and potentially other, smaller facilities as well.
