The Wannial Catraz could have been built in eight days, but the race has been built for months to become the top spot on Florida’s President Donald Trump’s deportation agenda.
Tuesday’s showcase for immigration detention facilities consists of tents and trailers on the Everglades isolated runway, thwarting months of activity led by Gov. Ron DeSantis and state legislators, building a wide range of nationally coordinated law enforcement agencies and employing people from Florida in the country.
It is the culmination of mission DeSantis, who was trumpeted in January shortly after Trump took office.
Trump toured the detention center on Tuesday, and together with the Department of Homeland Security’s Christy Noem Department, praised Florida for leading the country by arresting, detaining and deporting undocumented immigrants.
“This facility is something that we want all governors of this country to consider doing with us,” Noem said. She said she hopes other states will start asking soon: “How did Florida do it?”
The Wannial Catraz, which ultimately holds up to 3,000 detainees, is known as the country’s largest immigration detention facility. More than a dozen private companies working with the state to operate remote facilities at Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport are working with them, officials said. DeSantis seized land from Miami-Dade County using a continuation of an emergency order issued in 2023 amid influx of Cuban immigrants coming to the Florida Keys. The facility is expected to cost $450 million a year to operate.
“We’re all working on this,” DeSantis said Tuesday. “This is a multiplier of the power for the president’s efforts. …There is no reason why other states cannot do this.”
Tuesday’s event was also a political opportunity to showcase the united front of the Florida Republican Party in the midst of disagreements among numerous party groups. For months, state officials have been arguing about how it’s best to force people into people in the mid-race of 2026 for governors, attorney general and other important positions and how to position them for Trump’s approval.
Trump pointed out that he and DeSantis “may have had some skirmishes,” but they may still have more. But Trump said, “We’ll always be back because we have blood that seems to match pretty well.”
Trump thanked several state officials for helping to open the facility, including Attorney General James Usmier, who served a four-year term in his role in 2026.
“Where is James? I hear good things about you from Ron. He’s even a good looking guy, he has a future,” Trump said.
Trump has not yet been approved in the GOP Attorney General Primary, but he has the race of governor. His pick, U.S. Rep. Byron Donald, also attended the Alcatraz opening event for Crocodile on Tuesday.
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Florida Republicans and Usmeyer have recently tapped into the catchy craze of the Wannial Catraz name by selling themed products.
Uthmeier’s products include a $20 golf ball, a $5 button, and a $30 T-shirt with “nowhere to run, no hiding” printed on the back. The sale will help fund his 2026 campaign.
Trump has pledged to deport one million undocumented immigrants each year, with the ultimate goal of 15-20 million people being taken from the country by the end of the second term.
While he toured immigration facilities, the US Senate passed a bill that includes tens of millions of dollars in new federal funds for immigration enforcement.
Over the past six months, Florida has:
$298 million was allocated to immigration enforcement. This includes employing more than 50 new immigrant-focused law enforcement officers with training grants and bonuses to officers that support federal deportation. In the 2025 state budget, Florida’s Department of Law Enforcement cleared an additional $3 million, awarding grants to local prisons that are under construction to contract with US immigration and customs enforcement agencies to support immigration enforcement efforts.He represented more state law enforcement officers than any other state under the federal immigration law provisions known as 287(g). This provision allows ICE to delegate powers to state and local law enforcement officers to perform the functions of certain immigration officers.State agencies have worked with Ice to pass legislation expanding their powers to mandate state and local agencies to participate in federal deportation programs. The state is also leviing $5,000 fines and suspensions for local officials who refuse to comply with the ICE directive. It approved a law that would make it a national crime to enter Florida as an undocumented immigrant. The measure has been temporarily suspended by the court, but Florida officials have arrested dozens of people under regulations anyway.
