Latest news with #bordercrackdown
Bloomberg
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Bloomberg
US Immigration Crackdown to Intensify With $150 Billion Infusion
US immigration enforcement is set for the most dramatic expansion in decades with the Republican-controlled Congress on track to approve a budget bill that will fund President Donald Trump's mass deportation plans. The sweeping legislation, which Trump said he wants to sign by Friday, allocates more than $150 billion for the administration's border and immigration crackdown. Most of the money will go to the Department of Homeland Security and its enforcement arms, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection.
BreakingNews.ie
01-07-2025
- Politics
- BreakingNews.ie
Migrants would need to know ‘how to run away from an alligator', says Trump
Donald Trump is aiming to turn a new immigration detention centre into a symbol of his border crackdown when he visits the site in a remote area of the Florida Everglades. The facility, assembled on a remote airstrip with tents and trailers that are normally used after a natural disaster, has been given the nickname Alligator Alcatraz, a moniker that has alarmed immigrant activists but appeals to the Republican president's aggressive approach to deportations. Advertisement 'This is not a nice business,' he said as he left the White House in the morning. Then he joked that 'we're going to teach them how to run away from an alligator if they escape prison'. Donald Trump boards Air Force One (Cliff Owen/AP) 'Don't run in a straight line. Run like this,' he said, as he moved his hand in a zigzag motion. 'And you know what? Your chances go up about 1%.' Before his arrival, local authorities were positioned by the entrance of the airstrip. Media vans and other vehicles were parked along the road lined by cypress trees. Protesters have often gathered near the facility, which is about 50 miles west of Miami and could house 5,000 detainees. Advertisement They have criticised the potential impact on a delicate ecosystem and say Mr Trump is trying to send a cruel message to immigrants — while some Native American leaders have also opposed construction, saying the land is sacred. But a key selling point for the Trump administration is the site's remoteness — and the fact that it is in swampland filled with mosquitoes, pythons and alligators. The White House hopes that conveys a message to detainees and the rest of the world that repercussions will be severe if US immigration laws are not followed. 'There's only one road leading in, and the only way out is a one-way flight,' press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Monday. 'It is isolated, and it is surrounded by dangerous wildlife and unforgiving terrain.' Advertisement The isolated Everglades airfield west of Miami (Office of Attorney General James Uthmeier/AP) During his first term in 2019, Mr Trump denied reports that he floated the idea of building a moat filled with alligators at the Mexican border. 'I may be tough on border security, but not that tough,' he said at the time. In his second term, he has suggested that his administration could move to reopen Alcatraz, the notorious island prison off San Francisco. The White House has similarly promoted the political shock value of sending some immigrants awaiting deportation from the US to a detention centre at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and others to a megaprison in El Salvador. Some of the ideas have been impractical. For example, transforming Alcatraz from a tourist attraction into a prison would be very costly, and Guantanamo Bay is being used less often than administration officials originally envisioned. Advertisement However, the new detention centre in the Everglades came together very quickly. David Jolly, a former Republican who is now running for governor as a Democrat, called the facility a 'callous political stunt'. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) detainees are generally held for reasons like entering the country illegally or overstaying a visa. They are either waiting for Ice to put them on the next flight or bus ride home, or fighting against removal in immigration court. Construction work at the facility dubbed Alligator Alcatraz (WSVN/AP) If an immigrant is accused of or has committed a violent crime, he or she is tried and held in state or federal criminal jurisdiction, separate from the immigration system. In those cases, they may be transferred to Ice for deportation after completing their criminal sentences. State officials are spearheading construction of the Florida facility, but much of the cost is being covered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which is best known for responding to hurricanes and other natural disasters. Advertisement Florida attorney general James Uthmeier, who has been credited as the architect of the Everglades plan, first presented the proposal with a slickly produced video with graphics featuring red-eyed alligators and a hard rock soundtrack. The Department of Homeland Security posted an image of alligators wearing Ice hats and sitting in front of a fenced-in compound ringed with barbed wire. The Florida Republican Party has used the facility to sell branded T-shirts and beverage container sleeves. Florida governor Ron DeSantis suggested on Monday that the facility would be open and 'ready for business' by the time Mr Trump arrives. The governor, who challenged Mr Trump for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, has also played up the fact that the site will be hard to escape from. 'They ain't going anywhere once they're there, unless you want them to go somewhere, because good luck getting to civilisation,' he said. 'So the security is amazing.'
Washington Post
30-06-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Trump to visit new Florida immigration detention facility
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump will visit a new migrant detention facility in the Florida Everglades on Tuesday, showcasing his border crackdown in the face of humanitarian and environmental concerns. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump will be visiting 'Alligator Alcatraz,' a moniker that has alarmed immigrant activists but appeals to the president's aggressive approach to deportations.
CTV News
30-06-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Trump to visit new Florida immigration detention facility
U.S. President Donald Trump arrives on the South Lawn of the White House, Monday, June 9, 2025, in Washington. The Washington Monument is seen in background. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump will visit a new immigration detention facility in the Florida Everglades on Tuesday, showcasing his border crackdown in the face of humanitarian and environmental concerns. The trip was confirmed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday. 'When the president comes tomorrow, he's going to be able to see,' DeSantis told reporters. He added that 'I think by tomorrow, it'll be ready for business.' The governor, who unsuccessfully challenged Trump for the Republican presidential nomination last year, said he spoke with Trump over the weekend. He also said the site obtained approval from the Department of Homeland Security. 'What'll happen is you bring bring people in there,' DeSantis said during an unrelated press conference in Wildwood. 'They ain't going anywhere once they're there, unless you want them to go somewhere, because good luck getting to civilization. So the security is amazing.' The facility has drawn protests over its potential impact on the delicate ecosystem and criticism that Trump is trying to send a cruel message to immigrants. Some Native American leaders have also opposed construction, saying the land is sacred. The detention facility is being built on an isolated airstrip about 50 miles west of Miami, and it could house 5,000 detainees. The surrounding swampland is filled with mosquitos, pythons and alligators. 'There's really nowhere to go. If you're housed there, if you're detained there, there's no way in, no way out,' Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier told conservative media commentator Benny Johnson. He's described the facility as 'Alligator Alcatraz,' a moniker embraced by the Trump administration. DHS posted an image of alligators wearing hats with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's acronym. State officials in Florida are spearheading construction but much of the cost is being covered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, which is best known for responding to hurricanes and other natural disasters. Chris Megerian and Adriana Gomez Licon, The Associated Press Gomez Licon reported from Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Associated Press
30-06-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Trump to visit new Florida immigration detention facility
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump will visit a new immigration detention facility in the Florida Everglades on Tuesday, showcasing his border crackdown in the face of humanitarian and environmental concerns. The trip was confirmed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday. The facility has drawn protests over its potential impact on the delicate ecosystem and criticism that Trump is trying to send a cruel message to immigrants. Some Native American leaders have also opposed construction, saying the land is sacred. The detention facility is being built on an isolated airstrip about 50 miles west of Miami, and it could house 5,000 detainees. The surrounding swampland is filled with mosquitos, pythons and alligators. 'There's really nowhere to go. If you're housed there, if you're detained there, there's no way in, no way out,' Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier told conservative media commentator Benny Johnson. He's described the facility as 'Alligator Alcatraz,' a moniker embraced by the Trump administration. The Department of Homeland Security posted an image of alligators wearing hats with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's acronym. State officials in Florida are spearheading construction but much of the cost is being covered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, which is best known for responding to hurricanes and other natural disasters.
