A remote migrant detention centre named ‘ Alligator Alcatraz’ has opened its gates in South Florida, igniting a storm of protest and political debate. Located at an isolated airstrip in the Everglades, it can confine up to 5,000 people. Rows of bunk beds, cages and swamps crawling with pythons and alligators form its natural barrier.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis confirmed that some detainees had already arrived by Wednesday.
A president’s tour and swamp talk
US President Donald Trump visited the site and praised its unique surroundings. “We’re surrounded by miles of treacherous swampland and the only way out is, really, deportation,” Trump said during his tour. He added, “This is an amazing thing that they’ve done here.”
He did not stop there. Smirking, he told supporters, “This is what you need. A lot of bodyguards and a lot of cops in the form of alligators.”
Later, Trump doubled down on his message: “Pretty soon, this facility will handle the most menacing migrants, some of the most vicious people on the planet.” He joked about the reptiles again. “We’re going to teach them how to run away from an alligator if they escape prison.”
“Nowhere to go, nowhere to hide”
State Attorney General James Uthmeier defended the site’s location in the middle of 78 square kilometres of Everglades. “This 30-square-mile area is completely surrounded by the Everglades. It presents an efficient, low-cost opportunity to build a temporary detention facility because you don’t need to invest that much in the perimeter,” he said.
Uthmeier underlined the swamp’s role. “If people get out, there’s not much waiting for them other than alligators and pythons. Nowhere to go. Nowhere to hide.”
White House applause, public shock
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced Trump’s visit, saying, “Tomorrow, President Trump will travel to the great state of Florida to attend the opening of a new illegal alien detention centre located at Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport alongside Secretary Kristi Noem, Governor Ron DeSantis, Congressman Byron Donalds and other state and local leaders.”
Leavitt added, “The facility will have up to 5,000 beds to house, process and deport criminal illegal aliens. This is an efficient and low-cost way to help carry out the largest mass deportation campaign in American history.”
Outrage online: ‘Alligator Auschwitz’
Online, images of cages and bunk beds sparked anger and dark comparisons. One user posted, “One is a photo from Auschwitz the other, in Florida. This is definitely a concentration camp. #AlligatorAuschwitz absolutely disgusting!”
Another wrote bluntly, “Alligator Alcatraz is a concentration camp. #AlligatorAuschwitz.” A third shared images side-by-side, saying, “There’s a reason we call it #AlligatorAuschwitz.”
Some historians warn these comparisons risk trivialising the Holocaust’s horror, where over a million Jews were murdered in Nazi death camps. Still, for many, the echoes were hard to ignore.
Benny Johnson’s hat sparks fury
While activists marched, a MAGA loyalist added fuel to the fire. Benny Johnson filmed himself flaunting an ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ hat. In his video, he said, “Hi guys. I have just been handed official Alligator Alcatraz merch. I repeat, this prison has merch. Things are going insanely well.”
One user fired back, “These are human beings you’re laughing about.” Another fumed, “Imagine nazi merch back in the 1930s with ‘Alligator Auschwitz’ plastered on them as the camps were being built. That’s where we’re at right now.”
A few, however, praised Johnson’s stunt, saying they loved the hat.
Troops and cameras
The camp took just eight days to build. It stands behind barbed wire, watched by 200 cameras and 400 security staff. The Florida National Guard has sent 100 troops. Brittanie Funderburk, speaking for the Guard, said, “We don’t have a set timeline for this mission due to the fluid nature of the situation, but we will stay on the ground for as long as we’re needed and at the direction of Governor DeSantis.”
Protesters sound the alarm
Hundreds gathered outside the site on Tuesday, some demanding humane treatment for migrants, others calling for protection of the fragile Everglades.
The National Parks Conservation Association called it “inhumane” and “a cruel and absurd proposal”. Its Sun Coast Regional Director, Melissa Abdo, warned, “This facility’s remote, harsh nature could leave people in very real danger, especially as Florida’s heat index skyrockets and hurricane season escalates.”
For Trump, this is just the start. He told reporters he wants similar camps in other states. He joked as he looked around the swamp, “I looked outside and that’s not a place I want to go hiking anytime soon. The only way out, really, is deportation.”
As the sun sets over the Everglades, so does the debate rage on — over a swamp, a fence and the future of who belongs inside it.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis confirmed that some detainees had already arrived by Wednesday.
A president’s tour and swamp talk
US President Donald Trump visited the site and praised its unique surroundings. “We’re surrounded by miles of treacherous swampland and the only way out is, really, deportation,” Trump said during his tour. He added, “This is an amazing thing that they’ve done here.”
He did not stop there. Smirking, he told supporters, “This is what you need. A lot of bodyguards and a lot of cops in the form of alligators.”
Later, Trump doubled down on his message: “Pretty soon, this facility will handle the most menacing migrants, some of the most vicious people on the planet.” He joked about the reptiles again. “We’re going to teach them how to run away from an alligator if they escape prison.”
“Nowhere to go, nowhere to hide”
State Attorney General James Uthmeier defended the site’s location in the middle of 78 square kilometres of Everglades. “This 30-square-mile area is completely surrounded by the Everglades. It presents an efficient, low-cost opportunity to build a temporary detention facility because you don’t need to invest that much in the perimeter,” he said.
Uthmeier underlined the swamp’s role. “If people get out, there’s not much waiting for them other than alligators and pythons. Nowhere to go. Nowhere to hide.”
White House applause, public shock
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced Trump’s visit, saying, “Tomorrow, President Trump will travel to the great state of Florida to attend the opening of a new illegal alien detention centre located at Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport alongside Secretary Kristi Noem, Governor Ron DeSantis, Congressman Byron Donalds and other state and local leaders.”
Leavitt added, “The facility will have up to 5,000 beds to house, process and deport criminal illegal aliens. This is an efficient and low-cost way to help carry out the largest mass deportation campaign in American history.”
Outrage online: ‘Alligator Auschwitz’
Online, images of cages and bunk beds sparked anger and dark comparisons. One user posted, “One is a photo from Auschwitz the other, in Florida. This is definitely a concentration camp. #AlligatorAuschwitz absolutely disgusting!”
Another wrote bluntly, “Alligator Alcatraz is a concentration camp. #AlligatorAuschwitz.” A third shared images side-by-side, saying, “There’s a reason we call it #AlligatorAuschwitz.”
Some historians warn these comparisons risk trivialising the Holocaust’s horror, where over a million Jews were murdered in Nazi death camps. Still, for many, the echoes were hard to ignore.
Benny Johnson’s hat sparks fury
While activists marched, a MAGA loyalist added fuel to the fire. Benny Johnson filmed himself flaunting an ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ hat. In his video, he said, “Hi guys. I have just been handed official Alligator Alcatraz merch. I repeat, this prison has merch. Things are going insanely well.”
One user fired back, “These are human beings you’re laughing about.” Another fumed, “Imagine nazi merch back in the 1930s with ‘Alligator Auschwitz’ plastered on them as the camps were being built. That’s where we’re at right now.”
A few, however, praised Johnson’s stunt, saying they loved the hat.
Troops and cameras
The camp took just eight days to build. It stands behind barbed wire, watched by 200 cameras and 400 security staff. The Florida National Guard has sent 100 troops. Brittanie Funderburk, speaking for the Guard, said, “We don’t have a set timeline for this mission due to the fluid nature of the situation, but we will stay on the ground for as long as we’re needed and at the direction of Governor DeSantis.”
Protesters sound the alarm
Hundreds gathered outside the site on Tuesday, some demanding humane treatment for migrants, others calling for protection of the fragile Everglades.
The National Parks Conservation Association called it “inhumane” and “a cruel and absurd proposal”. Its Sun Coast Regional Director, Melissa Abdo, warned, “This facility’s remote, harsh nature could leave people in very real danger, especially as Florida’s heat index skyrockets and hurricane season escalates.”
For Trump, this is just the start. He told reporters he wants similar camps in other states. He joked as he looked around the swamp, “I looked outside and that’s not a place I want to go hiking anytime soon. The only way out, really, is deportation.”
As the sun sets over the Everglades, so does the debate rage on — over a swamp, a fence and the future of who belongs inside it.
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