Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier confirmed that the first illegal immigrants will arrive at the new Alligator Alcatraz detention and deportation facility in the Everglades on July 2.
Consisting of temporary yet hurricane-proof aluminum structures on an airfield built within the Big Cypress National Preserve, more than 50 miles away from downtown Miami, Alligator Alcatraz was declared ready to receive as many as 3,000 illegal immigrants and 1,000 staff on July 1, eight days after construction at the compound began.
The nearly 10,500-foot-long runway, which was originally intended to be a part of a massive international airport, is large enough to handle small and large aircraft, and it will be used to launch deportation flights for the detained illegal immigrants.
It is unknown at the time of publication when the first deportation flight will depart from Alligator Alcatraz.
Air Force One (the Boeing 757 variety) utilized the runway on July 1 when President Donald Trump attended the facility’s official opening with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and other officials.
“Think about what you have here,” DeSantis said during a round table at the opening. ”They come here ... they have already been ordered to be deported. You drive them 2,000 feet to the runway, and they’re gone. It’s a one-stop shop.”
Uthmeier said that more than 10 miles of Everglades swampland surrounds the perimeter, providing a similar natural barrier to the facility’s island namesake.
Tens of thousands of alligators are reported to live in the swamps of Big Cypress National Preserve, in addition to American crocodiles, Burmese pythons, Florida panthers, and cottonmouths.
“I looked outside, and that’s not a place I want to go hiking anytime soon,” Trump said at a round table discussion in Florida after touring the place.
“We’re surrounded by miles of treacherous swamp land, and the only way out is really deportation.”
The facility was touted by state officials as the latest example of Florida’s commitment to working with the Trump administration on illegal immigration. The state has passed legislation that, among other things, makes it a crime to enter the state illegally and mandates that all state and local entities and law enforcement agencies cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
DeSantis also announced that Florida will deputize the National Guard members as immigration judges to expedite the deportation process.
“It’s made a huge difference on any given day. Florida constitutes about 20 percent of all immigration arrests nationwide,” he said.
Noem, who approved federal funding for the plans, praised Alligator Alcatraz and Florida’s ability to open it so quickly. She also suggested that illegal immigrants download the Customs and Border Protection Home App and participate in government-funded self-deportation.
DeSantis echoed Noem’s sentiment.
“Why would you want to come through Alligator Alcatraz if you can just go home on your own?” he asked. ”I think a lot of people are going to make that decision.”
As the federal government and the state of Florida proceed with operations at Alligator Alcatraz, environmental groups are taking legal action against it, arguing that federal and state-level officials violated federal law in refusing to conduct an environmental review and seek public opinion before starting the project.
