In a move that has sparked environmental and political controversy, Florida has initiated the construction of a new migrant detention facility on a remote airstrip in the Everglades, a project dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz.” The centre is being developed at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport, located approximately 58 kilometers (36 miles) west of Miami, and is expected to temporarily house up to 1,000 undocumented migrants.
The initiative is part of former President Donald Trump’s intensified immigration enforcement efforts as he seeks to fulfill a major campaign pledge ahead of the upcoming election. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem announced that the project is being fast-tracked in collaboration with Florida authorities and would be funded “in large part” through the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) shelter and services programme — the same fund previously used to support undocumented migrants with temporary housing and aid.
“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,” Noem said in a statement. “We will expand facilities and bed space in just days, thanks to our partnership with Florida.”
The new detention site, expected to cost around $450 million (approximately £332 million) annually, is being built on what officials describe as a “virtually abandoned facility.” Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, in a video posted to social media platform X, emphasized the practicality of the site, suggesting that the surrounding Everglades would serve as a natural barrier to escape.
“If people get out, there’s not much waiting for them other than alligators and pythons. Nowhere to go, nowhere to hide,” Uthmeier said, asserting that the facility could be operational within 30 to 60 days.
However, the project has come under heavy criticism from environmentalists and local officials. Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniela Levine Cava, a Democrat, warned that the detention centre could have “devastating” impacts on the Everglades’ fragile ecosystem. The Everglades — a unique expanse of marshes, forests, mangroves, and estuaries — is widely regarded as an ecological treasure and a critical habitat for diverse species.
Despite reassurances from Uthmeier that the site does not fall within the boundaries of Everglades National Park, concerns remain over the long-term environmental damage such a facility could pose. The plan has reignited debates around the ethical and logistical dimensions of mass deportation strategies and their compatibility with environmental preservation in sensitive regions.
