The first group of migrants arrived in Florida’s migrant detention center, dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz,” on Wednesday night, just one day after President Donald Trump toured the facility.
The migrant detention facility was built far ahead of schedule, just weeks after being proposed by Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier. The facility is in a remote location in the Florida Everglades, with dangerous wildlife providing natural containment. Its first residents arrived in a motorcade of three white Ford vans.
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“Alligator Alcatraz will be checking in hundreds of criminal illegal aliens tonight. Next stop: back to where they came from,” Uthmeier said in a Wednesday post on X.
Construction workers and other contractors were seen entering and exiting the facility right up until the detainees arrived, reflecting the speedy construction. Food trucks serving churros, street corn, and empanadas were also seen by the Miami Herald.
Workers put up a road sign labeling the detention center “Alligator Alcatraz,” a term coined by Uthmeier and embraced by Trump.
The facility will house 3,000 migrants, but has enough beds for 5,000, according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. The Florida Division of Emergency Management constructed it in just eight days. It’s managed by 1,000 staff, and 20,000 feet of barbed wire surround it.
Alligator Alcatraz will cost $450 million per year to operate.
A 35-page preparation document was viewed by the Miami Herald, detailing preparations and logistical concerns. The rushed construction has led to some safety and logistical concerns, such as water seeping into the sleeping areas.
Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) said in a Tuesday press conference that contingency plans had been developed for every scenario, including hurricanes.
“Some people ask, well, what if there’s a hurricane? You think they didn’t think of that? Of course they do. Any time you would do anything in Florida, you’d have to think about what would be resistant,” he said. “Of course they have plans and contingencies for all of that.”
The planning document for Alligator Alcatraz indicated that the facility would house minors, with guidelines stipulating, “minors shall be separated from unrelated adults at all times during transport and seated in an area near officers and under close supervision.”
It also says that “snacks and water shall be given to minors, pregnant females, and as necessary for detainees with medical conditions,” while being transported “by land.”
The facility will be able to house up to 5,000 people while they await deportation. The facility is attached to an airfield and is intended to be used as a temporary holding site for illegal immigrants until deportation flights repatriate them.
“The federal government can fly right on the runway right there,” DeSantis said at a press conference in Wildwood. “You literally drive them 2,000 feet, put them on a plane, and then they’re gone. It’s very logistically simple.”
Alligator Alcatraz is a welcome development for the Trump administration, which has struggled with the logistics of carrying out Trump’s promise of the largest-ever deportation plan. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention centers are exceeding capacity, with more than 48,000 people currently in immigration detention, according to the agency. The administration has turned to private companies to handle the overflow, housing 90% of the individuals held by the agency.
‘ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ’: WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT FLORIDA’S NEWEST IMMIGRANT DETENTION CENTER
Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” will ease the logistical strain on ICE, turning it into the most heavily funded federal law enforcement agency. The $45 billion set aside for ICE detention operations through September 2029 represents a 365% increase in annual detention spending.
The bill further allocates $80 billion for internal immigration enforcement and $46.6 billion for border wall construction, three times more than Trump was able to spend on a border wall during his first term.