Trump Tours Newly Completed 5,000-Bed 'Alligator Alcatraz' Detention Center Florida

President Donald Trump is set to officially open 'Alligator Alcatraz,' a newly completed immigration detention facility located on the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport site about 50 miles west of Miami in the Florida Everglades. The site, which can house up to 5,000 detainees, was rushed to completion amid environmental concerns and protests, and is designed with natural deterrents such as surrounding alligators and pythons to prevent escapes. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt described the facility enthusiastically as a low-cost and efficient measure to support the largest mass deportation campaign in American history, a characterization that has drawn criticism. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis highlighted the facility's role in increasing deportations, noting that local law enforcement requires additional space to process detained migrants. The detention center occupies what was once the partially constructed Everglades Jetport, a 1960s project intended to build the world's largest airport, which was abandoned due to environmental concerns and has since been repurposed for this new use. This transformation reflects ongoing tensions between immigration policy enforcement and environmental preservation in the region.