Florida’s ‘Alligator Alcatraz’: What to Know

The new facility is expected to hold 1,000 illegal immigrants within 60 days of construction.

An isolated Everglades airfield about 45 miles west of Miami in a still from an undated video. Courtesy of the Office of Attorney General James Uthmeier via AP

Down in the Florida Everglades, state-level lawmakers and the Department of Homeland Security have decided to build a new detention center for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to house apprehended illegal immigrants awaiting processing and deportation.

Using Federal Emergency Management Administration funds, the facility is expected to hold up to 1,000 people and is touted as only the latest example of Florida’s dedication, under Gov. Ron DeSantis, to President Donald Trump’s policies to crack down on illegal immigration.