TALLAHASSEE, FL— Deep in the Florida Everglades, at the site of what in 1969 was intended to become the largest airport in the nation serving a fleet of supersonic consumer jets that never flew, the Department of Homeland Security and State of Florida are giving the Everglades Jetport, now known as the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport a new life as “Alligator Alcatraz.”
The airport, already repurposed after 1970 by local governments for general aviation, will be transformed into a 5,000-bed immigration detention center.
It will be complete with its own 10,499 ft. runway on a 39 square mile geographically isolated compound 36 miles west of Miami.
Surrounded by the vast Big Cypress Wildlife Management Area, the region is home to plentiful wildlife, including alligators, various snake species as well as the Florida panther and black bear, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier touted the facility as “the one-stop shop to carry out President Trump’s mass deportation agenda.” He described the facility as leaving, “nowhere to go, nowhere to hide,” ensuring that a major investment in perimeter security is unnecessary.
“We don’t need to build a lot of brick and mortar,” Uthmeier told Benny Johnson in an interview on Tuesday. “And thankfully, Mother Nature does a lot on the perimeter.”
In a post to X, the Department of Homeland Security stated, “We are working on cost-effective and innovative ways to deliver on the American people’s mandate for mass deportations.
Alligator Alcatraz will expand facilities and bed space in just days, thanks to our partnership with Florida.”
Rather than merely offering space in an existing prison facility, as has been done in several private and government prisons, Florida has opted to completely repurpose the airport.
The airport will be specifically intended to house illegal aliens apprehended by local authorities pending processing by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to The New York Times.
Work on the facility began on Monday and presently consists of a series of large tents and expanded facilities that will ultimately cost $450 million to operate, which will be reimbursed in part by the Federal government, per DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin.
“I’m proud to help support President Trump and Secretary Noem in their mission to fix our illegal immigration problem once and for all,” Uthmeier said in a statement to the Times. “Alligator Alcatraz and other Florida facilities will do just that.”
The airport, already repurposed after 1970 by local governments for general aviation, will be transformed into a 5,000-bed immigration detention center.
It will be complete with its own 10,499 ft. runway on a 39 square mile geographically isolated compound 36 miles west of Miami.
Surrounded by the vast Big Cypress Wildlife Management Area, the region is home to plentiful wildlife, including alligators, various snake species as well as the Florida panther and black bear, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier touted the facility as “the one-stop shop to carry out President Trump’s mass deportation agenda.” He described the facility as leaving, “nowhere to go, nowhere to hide,” ensuring that a major investment in perimeter security is unnecessary.
Alligator Alcatraz: the one-stop shop to carry out President Trump’s mass deportation agenda. pic.twitter.com/96um2IXE7U
— Attorney General James Uthmeier (@AGJamesUthmeier) June 19, 2025
“We don’t need to build a lot of brick and mortar,” Uthmeier told Benny Johnson in an interview on Tuesday. “And thankfully, Mother Nature does a lot on the perimeter.”
🚨Florida AG James Uthmeier announces the construction for Alligator Alcatraz has started and will be holding criminal aliens by next month:
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) June 23, 2025
"We have commenced construction. Early July... Many of them will be at Alligator Alcatraz. We will be prioritizing criminal aliens." pic.twitter.com/RsIlIJlw9j
In a post to X, the Department of Homeland Security stated, “We are working on cost-effective and innovative ways to deliver on the American people’s mandate for mass deportations.
Alligator Alcatraz will expand facilities and bed space in just days, thanks to our partnership with Florida.”
Rather than merely offering space in an existing prison facility, as has been done in several private and government prisons, Florida has opted to completely repurpose the airport.
The airport will be specifically intended to house illegal aliens apprehended by local authorities pending processing by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to The New York Times.
Work on the facility began on Monday and presently consists of a series of large tents and expanded facilities that will ultimately cost $450 million to operate, which will be reimbursed in part by the Federal government, per DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin.
“I’m proud to help support President Trump and Secretary Noem in their mission to fix our illegal immigration problem once and for all,” Uthmeier said in a statement to the Times. “Alligator Alcatraz and other Florida facilities will do just that.”
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Comments
2025-06-26T17:32-0400 | Comment by: gracey
put them in military uniforms and parachute them into north korea to be taken care of by them.