Florida Opens 5,000-Bed Alligator Alcatraz Migrant Detention Center

President Donald Trump visited the controversial migrant detention center known as "Alligator Alcatraz" in Florida's Everglades, praising the facility's harsh conditions and security measures such as mesh fencing, barbed wire, and steel bunk beds. The detention center, which can hold up to 5,000 detainees, is located in a remote, environmentally sensitive area inhabited by alligators, pythons, and mosquitoes, which Florida officials describe as natural security features. The facility's location and conditions have drawn sharp criticism from immigration and environmental advocacy groups, who label it as cruel, inhumane, and harmful to the Everglades ecosystem, with ongoing protests and lawsuits aiming to halt its operation. Florida's Attorney General and DHS officials have highlighted the site's efficiency and low costs, emphasizing its role in supporting the administration's intensified immigration enforcement and mass deportation efforts. Critics also point to the high number of detainees without serious criminal convictions and recent deaths in ICE custody, raising concerns about the treatment of migrants at the center. Environmental groups stress that the area is protected wetland vital to endangered species and water quality, underscoring the controversy surrounding the facility's rapid construction and planned opening.