On July 1, 2025, President Donald Trump inaugurated a new migrant detention center in the Florida Everglades, nicknamed "Alligator Alcatraz." He was accompanied by Governor Ron DeSantis and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem.
The center is located on the grounds of the former Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport in Ochopee, approximately 70 kilometers west of Miami. It is designed to accommodate up to 3,000 migrants, with the possibility of expanding capacity to 5,000.
The choice of location in the Everglades, surrounded by swamps with alligators and pythons, is intended to serve as a natural barrier against escape attempts. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, who coined the name "Alligator Alcatraz," stated, "There's really no place to go. If you're housed there, there's no way in, no way out."
President Trump commented on the center's security measures, saying, "It's known as Alligator Alcatraz, which is very fitting because I'm looking out there, and that's not a place I'd want to go walking anytime soon." The center was established within eight days and is funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Environmental organizations and indigenous groups have expressed concerns about the center's impact on the sensitive Everglades ecosystem. They argue that the facility could harm the environment and violate the rights of the indigenous population.
Despite these controversies, officials emphasized the center's importance for implementing the Trump administration's immigration policies. Governor DeSantis stated, "What will happen is you bring people there, they'll be processed, they'll have a removal order, then they can get in line and the federal government can – right on the tarmac, right there, you literally drive them 2,000 feet, put them on a plane, and then they're gone."
The "Alligator Alcatraz" center is now operational and is expected to play a central role in future US efforts to combat illegal immigration.