TALHASSEE — The remote state-run facility in the Everglades, built for immigrant detainees, is scheduled to open Tuesday with a visit from President Donald Trump.
DeSantis, who is scheduled to join Trump on Tuesday morning, calls it a “force multiplier” that addresses the Trump administration’s needs for more detention space for immigrants. The site may support deportation flight ramps as it has runways long enough to rival those available at Miami International Airport.
“Most states have done nothing,” DeSantis said at a press conference Monday. “We’re one of the few states – we might be the only state – it’s really full throttle and says, ‘What do you know? We’re not going to solve this problem unless we’re part of our team.” ”
Detention immigration facilities on the idol runway seized from Miami-Dade County using the emergency by the Desantis administration are seen as an important way by the governor to further promote Trump’s immigration crackdown. In addition to detention spaces and runways, Desantis believes the facility’s location is located in a hot, damp environment filled with crocodiles and Pythons, allowing it to send messages to immigrants who lack permanent legal status.
“They won’t go anywhere if they’re there… because good fortune will reach civilization,” DeSantis said as the crowd laughed at the press conference. He then said, “Security is amazing. It’s natural, otherwise.”
Desantis says he believes he will begin construction last Monday, but will be open on Tuesday, but it remains unknown when detainees will be processed and will take place there. The facility could open with a capacity of up to 500 people. Ultimately, the goal is to accommodate up to 3,000 individuals.
Since Trump took office, Florida officials have pushed to increase the state’s role in federal immigration enforcement. The federal agreement allows nearly 300 law enforcement agencies in Florida to represent local police officers to arrest and detain immigrants living here without legal permission. Last month, the Florida Department of Emergency Management released a blueprint outlining Florida’s plans to boost the federal immigration agenda.
“The Fed may do good things if we’re not part of the team, but we’re not going to get the job done with the current resources they have, and we know they’re trying to build it.
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Trump’s visit on the first day of the facility, first revealed through the Federal Aviation Administration VIP Movement Notice, shows support for state involvement in the federal immigration agenda.
In a statement Monday, Homeland Security Secretary Christy Noem said Wani Alcatraz would give the Trump administration the ability to “lock in some of the worst skan bags that have entered our country under the previous administration.”
“We’ll be expanding our facilities and bed space in just a few days thanks to our partnership with Florida. We’ll make America safe again,” she said.
In a news release, the Department of Homeland Security said several recently arrested immigrants in the state on criminal charges for murder, inducements, child pornography and other crimes, were people who could be housed in the facility. Data from researchers at Syracuse University show that as of June 15, almost half of the 56,397 detainees in immigration and customs enforcement custody nationwide had been held for immigration violations and had not received criminal convictions or charges.
Meanwhile, the Cato Institute analyzed private data and found that 65% of people processed by ICE between October 2024 and June 2025 were not convicted, while 93% were not convicted of violent crimes.
The contractor jumped out at the facility last week, bringing in solar panels and generators. The softside temporary facility will be installed first, but the facility’s staff will be housed in an old federal emergency management agency trailer.
Florida wants to house up to 5,000 immigrant detainees statewide.
Authorities are also assessing whether Camp Branding, a military base near Jacksonville, will be used. State-run immigration detention costs around $450 million a year to carry out. Florida can request a refund from the federal fund that the Biden administration used to house non-citizens.
The state-run facility sparked a wave of blame as environmentalists sued Florida at the detention center. A string of protests are expected to take place near the site on Tuesday, highlighting both the ongoing immigration crackdown and opposition to potential environmental impacts.
Critics raised concerns about the material waste and pollution produced by Crocodile Alcatraz. A recent assessment requested by Miami-Dade County states that land has been flooded significantly during the rainy season in South Florida. Proponents are particularly concerned about the potential spill of aviation fuels and raw sewage into the primitive Everglades waterways.
DeSantis, who positioned himself as the Everglades champion, called the facility “the most efficient and effective place” and built a national detention center. He said the state has emergency plans in place in place in case the hurricane affects facilities and internal detainers.
“They have all of that plan and contingency,” DeSantis said.
Once the pushback from environmentalists was mounted, Desantis said the facility’s operations would not affect the Everglades the environment. Since he took office, DeSantis has made the Everglades’ recovery a cornerstone of his environmental agenda. On Monday, he pointed to the administration’s investment in restoration and water quality projects.
“If I had somehow thought it would have a negative impact on all the great work I’d done to improve and restore the Everglades, I wouldn’t have agreed to do it on that site,” he said.
Environmentalists have not bought it, so they want to stop building the facility and pass the court.
“This massive detention center will destroy one of the world’s most iconic ecosystems,” said director and lawyer for Elise Bennett, Florida and the Caribbean, as attorneys at the Center for Biodiversity. “This reckless attack on the Everglades, Florida’s lifeline, will pollute sensitive waters and turn the more endangered Florida Panthers into Roadkill. It makes no sense to build an essential development for the Everglades for any reason, but this is especially despicable.”
On Tuesday, environmentalists are at the gates trying to convey their message.
