Florida opened its 3,000-bed Alligator Alcatraz immigration detention facility today with a Republican political entourage headlined by President Donald Trump.
The facility is located at an airfield in the middle of the everglades in Miami-Dade and Collier counties.
During its launch, Trump said the location is ideal for housing and deporting immigrants.
“The incredible thing is picking the site because the site was one of the most natural sites. It might be as good as the real Alcatraz. Well, that's a spooky one too, isn't it?” he said.
The facility is the product of collaboration between the state and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE. It’s meant to hold undocumented immigrants before deportation.
Trump wants many more facilities like it around the country and foresees some of them being permanent.
“At some point they might morph into a system where you're going to keep it for a long time. You know, it's not that far away from jails that take years to build and money is spent and wasted,” he said.
At the launch, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said the detention center will serve as a deterrent for immigrants who are not in the country legally. He hopes it could give them a reason to consider self-deportation.
“Why would you want to come through Alligator Alcatraz? If you can just go home on your own? I think a lot of people are going to make that decision. So, you're going to have a lot of deportations that are going to be done by the administration, but I think you're going to have a lot of voluntary as well,” he said.
The facility’s opening has been controversial. Environmental groups have sued over concerns about potential negative environmental impacts to the Everglades. Members of the Miccosukee Tribe have also opposed the center. Florida Democrats, like Orlando Representative Anna Eskamani, are calling the project political theater. Eskamani said she worries about the potential for negative consequences.
“This entire concept is a complete political stunt that is the only disastrous to our environment but feeding into anti-immigrant and dehumanizing rhetoric. It's clear to me that this is not only a gross misuse of public dollars, but creating an environment that is not hurricane proof, not flood proof, incredibly dangerous for those who will be detained with no due process alongside those who work there,” she said.
Political leaders say the facility is ready to be operational.