Collier County, Fla. (WFLA) – Construction of the new immigration detention facility, Alligator Alcatraz, began after Florida leaders approved the plan Monday.
NBC affiliate WBBH reported that the facility is located at Dade Carrier Training and Transition Airport, an abandoned runway spanning the Miami-Dade and Collier County lines.
State officials told media that the site would house roughly 5,000 immigrants who illegally live in the United States in July 2025.
Florida Attorney General James Usmier said the location would allow for efficient disposal and deportation, while the natural environment (with crocodile, Pison and Panthers) would serve as a deterrent to escape.
“You don’t need to invest too much in boundaries. “If people get out, you don’t wait too much other than alligators and pythons.”
On Sunday, the news station reported that several Everglades restoration and conservation groups had held peaceful protests outside the facility.
Protesters told WBBH they were against the development of the Everglades.
“This is not about politics,” said David Shealy at Skunkape Research. “This is environmental and we don’t leave anything behind unless we put our feet down and stop developing here on these wild lands.
“Wannial Catraz” is intended to be a temporary facility. Uthmeier said the state would only build light infrastructure on the facilities.
