**An abandoned airport in Florida's Everglades is under transformation into a new detention center to assist with mass deportations, drawing ire from environmental and civil rights advocates.**
**Florida's Controversial ‘Alligator Alcatraz’: A New Migrant Detention Facility**
**Florida's Controversial ‘Alligator Alcatraz’: A New Migrant Detention Facility**
**State Lawmakers Initiate Construction Amidst Environmental Concerns and Human Rights Criticism**
The construction site for a contentious new migrant detention facility, ominously dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz," is coming to life in a nearly deserted airport located in Florida's scenic Everglades, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This facility is designed to support US President Donald Trump's stringent deportation strategy, as placed into motion by state lawmakers.
Despite expectations for a tourist hotspot, the arrival of trucks loaded with tents, construction tools, and portable toilets marks the groundwork for a structure meant to hold undocumented migrants. James Uthmeier, Florida's attorney general, underscored its deterrent nature, proclaiming that with alligators and pythons nearby, the facility requires minimal investment in security measures.
Situated within the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport—approximately 43 miles from Miami—this airstrip is predominantly a training site for pilots, now being transformed into a facility expected to detain close to 1,000 individuals. Governor Ron DeSantis invoked emergency powers in 2023 to launch this initiative, which has polarized opinions and raised significant environmental flags among residents and advocacy groups.
Local resident Betty Osceola, affiliated with the Miccosukee Native American tribe, voiced mounting apprehension concerning potential long-term impacts on the environment and the welfare of future detainees. Echoing her sentiments, organizations like Friends of the Everglades and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) criticized the facility's existence as an inhumane representation of the current immigration system.
Despite the backlash, DeSantis hinted at more facilities potentially arising, referencing Camp Blanding as a future site. Uthmeier promoted "Alligator Alcatraz" as a timely, economical solution, claiming detainees will have nowhere to escape.
Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, maintained that federal finances would facilitate the new detention center, aiming to enhance the capacity for mass deportations. Amidst increasing immigration raids, Miami-Dade County’s Democratic mayor, Daniella Levine Cava, expressed concerns about the environmental ramifications and financial arrangements linked to the plan.
In a landscape of trepidation among undocumented residents in the area, the construction of the "Alligator Alcatraz" continues, illustrating the contentious intersection of immigration policy, environmental protection, and human rights.
Despite expectations for a tourist hotspot, the arrival of trucks loaded with tents, construction tools, and portable toilets marks the groundwork for a structure meant to hold undocumented migrants. James Uthmeier, Florida's attorney general, underscored its deterrent nature, proclaiming that with alligators and pythons nearby, the facility requires minimal investment in security measures.
Situated within the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport—approximately 43 miles from Miami—this airstrip is predominantly a training site for pilots, now being transformed into a facility expected to detain close to 1,000 individuals. Governor Ron DeSantis invoked emergency powers in 2023 to launch this initiative, which has polarized opinions and raised significant environmental flags among residents and advocacy groups.
Local resident Betty Osceola, affiliated with the Miccosukee Native American tribe, voiced mounting apprehension concerning potential long-term impacts on the environment and the welfare of future detainees. Echoing her sentiments, organizations like Friends of the Everglades and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) criticized the facility's existence as an inhumane representation of the current immigration system.
Despite the backlash, DeSantis hinted at more facilities potentially arising, referencing Camp Blanding as a future site. Uthmeier promoted "Alligator Alcatraz" as a timely, economical solution, claiming detainees will have nowhere to escape.
Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, maintained that federal finances would facilitate the new detention center, aiming to enhance the capacity for mass deportations. Amidst increasing immigration raids, Miami-Dade County’s Democratic mayor, Daniella Levine Cava, expressed concerns about the environmental ramifications and financial arrangements linked to the plan.
In a landscape of trepidation among undocumented residents in the area, the construction of the "Alligator Alcatraz" continues, illustrating the contentious intersection of immigration policy, environmental protection, and human rights.
