First Detainees Arrive at Florida Alligator Alcatraz Detention Center

The newly opened immigrant detention center, dubbed 'Alligator Alcatraz,' in the Florida Everglades has begun receiving detainees as part of President Donald Trump's intensified immigration enforcement efforts. The facility, built in just eight days and capable of housing up to 5,000 people, is located in a remote, hazardous environment surrounded by swampland with dangerous wildlife, raising serious concerns about detainee safety and conditions. Critics compare it to concentration camps, highlighting its use of temporary structures vulnerable to flooding and hurricanes in a high-velocity storm zone, with limited access for legal and family oversight. The center's location on environmentally sensitive land and near Miccosukee Native American tribal grounds has sparked protests from local residents and environmentalists. Despite the criticism, Florida officials and supporters defend the facility as a necessary step to enforce immigration laws and curb illegal crossings. President Trump, along with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, have publicly supported the center, framing it as a part of a broader strategy to increase deportations.