'Alligator Alcatraz': DHS to open immigration detention center in Florida

The federal government has approved a plan by Florida to construct new immigration detention centers, including a remote facility deep in the Everglades nicknamed “Alligator Alcatraz.”

The project, spearheaded by Florida officials, was confirmed by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Monday through the disaster relief agency’s Shelter and Services Program, which was initially created by Congress to support localities managing the arrival foreign nationals released from federal custody.

“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 to CBS News. “We will expand facilities and bed space in just days, thanks to our partnership with Florida.”

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier revealed that one of the flagship detention centers will be located at a largely abandoned airfield in the Everglades. The facility, dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz” by state officials, is designed to house illegal immigrants with criminal records. Uthmeier emphasized that its remote, swampy surroundings, home to alligators and pythons, would make any escape attempts perilous and virtually impossible. “There’s really nowhere to go. If you’re housed there, if you’re detained there, there’s no way in, no way out.”

According to Uthmeier, the Everglades facility and other sites across Florida will collectively be able to hold up to 5,000 detainees and could begin operations as early as July. He described the centers as “temporary,” though no definitive timeline for their closure was offered.

Similar partnerships are already in place in Texas and Louisiana, where state law enforcement officers and National Guard troops have been empowered to enforce immigration laws.

Uthmeier said, “Florida will fight alongside this administration to keep Florida safe, strong, and free. I’m proud to help support President Trump and Secretary Noem in their mission to fix our illegal immigration problem once and for all. ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ and other Florida facilities will do just that.”