President Donald Trump is scheduled to visit a new U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility located deep in the Florida Everglades on Tuesday.
The visit coincides with the facility’s first day of operations and the scheduled arrival of detainees.
JUST IN: President Trump is set to attend the opening of Alligator Alcatraz on Tuesday, per NBC
THOUSANDS of illegals are expected to be moved there in mere days. Hopefully he’ll be announcing more of these facilities around the country! pic.twitter.com/PPJaZY8ByW — Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) June 29, 2025
The facility, known informally among officials as “Alligator Alcatraz,” was rapidly constructed on a remote, largely unused airfield in western Miami-Dade County.
BREAKING: President Trump will be headed to the opening of Alligator Alcatraz in Florida tomorrow, Karoline Leavitt confirms
LFG!!! The facility will house 5,000 vioIent illegals, surrounded by gators. pic.twitter.com/BVXLHRohYQ — Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) June 30, 2025
The site sits approximately 50 miles west of Miami and was authorized through executive action by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
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According to a senior administration official, the trip will allow President Trump to view the facility firsthand as part of his ongoing efforts to strengthen immigration enforcement.
The project was originally proposed by Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier and received state approval within days.
Uthmeier noted that the remote location and surrounding environment provide a natural deterrent against escape, citing the region’s dense swamps, alligator population, and invasive pythons.
“The tent facility would not require much of a barrier surrounding the site because if immigrants were to escape, there’s not much waiting for them, other than alligators and pythons,” Uthmeier said.
Alligator Alcatraz: the one-stop shop to carry out President Trump’s mass deportation agenda. pic.twitter.com/96um2IXE7U
— Attorney General James Uthmeier (@AGJamesUthmeier) June 19, 2025
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Governor DeSantis toured the site last week during a media walkthrough and emphasized the natural challenges posed by the terrain.
“If a criminal alien were to escape from here somehow, and I don’t think they will, you’ve got nowhere to go,” DeSantis said during an interview with Fox News.
“What are you going to do? Trudge through the swamp and dodge alligators on the way back to, 50–60 miles just to get to civilization? Not going to happen.”
The facility will be operated by ICE, and not state authorities.
JUST IN: Alligator Alcatraz will be funded with the money Biden set aside to put illegals in five star hotels, per @TriciaOhio
Illegals are going from the lush Roosevelt Hotel in New York City to a detention center surrounded by gators THAT'S what we voted for pic.twitter.com/M2UgDCcz5M — Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) June 27, 2025
It is equipped to serve as a transportation hub for the federal government to fly in detainees from across the country and, in some cases, to deport individuals directly from the site.
The airport runway is still functional and has been repurposed to support these operations.
The structures are modeled after temporary detention facilities previously erected by the Border Patrol in response to surges in illegal border crossings.
The Florida site includes several large tents with designated areas for families, adult men, and adult women.
Additional infrastructure includes laundry services, restroom and shower facilities, and a dining area.
Coming soon! pic.twitter.com/v3DCJsrDwV
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) June 28, 2025
DeSantis said the state’s Division of Emergency Management coordinated the effort.
“This is being done by the Division of Emergency Management. So when we have a hurricane, we would actually have people stage here for hurricane response normally, anyways,” DeSantis stated last Friday.
“When we have all the linemen come in to do the power, we have to set up little areas for them, and so you have all this type of stuff. So this is not our first rodeo.”
Over the weekend, protesters gathered along U.S. Highway 41, also known as the Tamiami Trail, to demonstrate against the site.
LMAO! Florida liberals protest Alligator Alcatraz detention facility construction - but they can NOT block the road...
...because in Florida, it is LEGAL to run over people who crowd your vehicle Law and order state! They're staying behind the line!pic.twitter.com/Y4dS9dJEex — Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) June 28, 2025
Further demonstrations are expected Monday and Tuesday as Secret Service prepares for President Trump’s visit.
The detention center’s development comes amid continued national attention on immigration enforcement and detention capacity.
Florida officials have framed the facility as a strategic response to federal immigration priorities under the Trump administration.
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I keep seeing “surrounded by alligator and python infested swamps” but that’s actually not the case. The west end of the runway is 1.3 miles from U.S. Route 41 (Tamiami Trail), the highway between Naples and Miami. The surrounding terrain is Florida scrub land, mostly dry. It would be about a half hour hike from the camp to the highway but there’d be very little chance of getting eaten on the way except by mosquitoes.
Don’t get me wrong, I think using this place to house detained IAs awaiting deportation is great, and it will be tough to break out of. But, no, not much danger from wildlife…unless they escape to the north. That would be bad for them!