MIAMI, Fla. — Florida environmentalists are warning against controversial plans to build a new federal detention facility deep in the Everglades. The proposed facility, which is what is called “Alligator Alcatraz” by opponents and supporters, is scheduled for construction near the area around Big Cypress National Reserve, causing serious concern among environmentalists.
“This isn’t about wildlife, it’s not about water,” said Jessica Mendoza, organizer of the Florida Environmental Defense Network. “Building huge prison complexes in sensitive areas like the Everglades risks polluting aquifers that provide clean drinking water to millions of Floridians. Paving wetlands will not bring them back.” Protesters gathered in Miami and Tallahassee this week to appeal to state leaders and the Biden administration to halt the project immediately. Legal challenges from the Environmental Group are expected in the coming months.
The prisons have pulled a large number of fires from conservationists, which has also become a flashpoint for discussions about immigration enforcement. The facility is expected to house undocumented immigrants with criminal records. Critics say it reflects a broader return to Trump-era immigration tactics.
Key Democrats have condemned detention initiatives and argued that they will revive strict enforcement practices without addressing the underlying causes of immigration or providing meaningful reforms. “What we’re seeing is an incredible escalation of the same punitive strategies that we fought under the Trump administration,” said Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-FL). “This is not the way we build a humanitarian, effective immigration system. It’s not justice to detain people indefinitely in remote areas like the Everglades. That’s the cruelty of prices.”
Frost’s comments aren’t surprising given the background of the young lawmakers. Frost was never hired other than driving for Uber before taking office, but made his name in central Florida as a leftist activist. District frost encompassing downtown Orlando, replacing Miami as the most certainly difficult left-leaning hub across the state. Some compared it to Austin’s reputation as a bright blue dot in a dark red state.
Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA), a prominent voice on immigration policy, reflected these concerns and emphasized that increasing deterrent forces disproportionately target Latino communities. “We cannot accept a framework that equates immigrant status with criminality,” Padilla said. “We must distinguish between the real threats to public safety from the overwhelming majority of undocumented people who work, raise their families and contribute to the economy.”
However, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has retreated criticism and provides a strong defense of the new facility and its operations. In a release issued Monday, DHS highlighted a list of individuals who were recently arrested in Florida as part of their immigration enforcement efforts. The agency said many of those detained in recent weeks were not only undocumented, but also had extensive criminal history including murder, rape, child exploitation and human trafficking.
“These individuals are not just illegally in the country. They are dangerous felons who pose a direct threat to public safety,” the statement read. “Our mission is to maintain the law and protect American communities from the worst and worst.” DHS noted that many of the arrests were made in collaboration with local law enforcement agencies in cities such as Miami, Tampa and Orlando.
Among those arrested were a 36-year-old Mexican citizen of Jacksonville who wanted to kill him in his home country. The agency said these individuals are being held in high security detention for deportation, and many will be transferred to the new Wannial Catraz facility when they open later this year.
The opening of the Everglades Detention Center is part of a broader federal strategy to localize immigrant detention and reduce overcrowding of urban facilities. However, the project could remain under intense scrutiny due to growing bipartisan concerns about both environmental and ethical implications.
Environmentalists and immigration rights groups have vowed to continue their opposition as a joint rally is planned outside of federal courts in Miami next week. “We’re fighting for people and the planets,” Mendoza said. “We will not let this prison rise without a fight, at the heart of Florida’s sacred land.”
