As President Donald Trump toured the new Florida Everglades migrant detention center known as 鈥淎lligator Alcatraz鈥� on Tuesday, protesters gathered at the controversial facility鈥檚 entrance decrying its potential environmental harm and what they called the 鈥渃ruelty for cruelty鈥檚 sake鈥� behind its concept.
Chanting, 鈥淎lligator Alcatraz, we say No!鈥�, the loud but smaller than expected crowd of demonstrators 鈥� who were vastly outnumbered by the media throng on Tamiami Trail 鈥� held up signs with messages such as 鈥淐ommunities, Not Cages,鈥� and 鈥淗ands Off Our Everglades.鈥�
The spartan tent-building site, which opened Tuesday after hasty construction that started last week, will house up to 5,000 suspected undocumented immigrants arrested under Trump鈥檚 sweeping deportation campaign.
It will also be used to process their cases 鈥� Trump on Tuesday said qualified National Guard members can serve as immigration judges there 鈥� and sits alongside an idle airstrip that Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier says will be used for deportation flights.
Uthmeier gave the project the 鈥淎lligator Alcatraz鈥� name to emphasize that its remote location in the middle of the hot, gator-infested Everglades will make it daunting to escape 鈥� but more important, that those unpleasant environs will serve as a deterrent to illegal immigration.
Protesters at the site on Tuesday said the hardline immigration-policy bravado is excessive given that many of the detainees to be sent there will likely not be criminals but law-abiding and gainfully employed undocumented migrants who have been in the U.S. for years.
鈥淭he only reason they鈥檙e doing this is because they want to conjure the idea of this horrible, scary, imposing Everglades Alcatraz 鈥� this toxic prison that鈥檚 so scary you鈥檙e going to want to self-deport,鈥� said Miami environmental activist Zac Cosner.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 why they鈥檙e putting out this disgusting art about [detainees] being eaten by alligators. It鈥檚 just about creating fear, and it鈥檚 a bit sickening.鈥�
READ MORE: DeSantis fast-tracks building immigrant detention center in Everglades
Rachel Bass, an artist from Cape Coral, said that in light of so many non-criminal migrants being swept up in Trump鈥檚 deportation dragnet, 鈥渋t adds salt to the wound to say, 鈥榃e鈥檙e just gonna stick 鈥榚m in the Everglades and let the gators handle them.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 insane. It鈥檚 cruelty just for the sake of being cruel.鈥�
On Monday, Gov. Ron DeSantis 鈥� who has been singularly focused on making the Sunshine State the nation鈥檚 most zealous partner in Trump鈥檚 deportation drive 鈥� joked that Alligator Alcatraz occupants 鈥渁in鈥檛 going anywhere once they are there 鈥� because good luck getting to civilization.
鈥淭he security is amazing. Natural and otherwise.鈥�
DeSantis and Utmeier also insist the detention facility will have 鈥渮ero鈥� environmental impact on that parcel of the Everglades in southwest Florida. But activists called their claim 鈥渁bsurd.鈥�
鈥淚t stacks up to be completely unconscionable to think you can put a 5,000-person prison camp, with the waste and the traffic and the noise and the impact on wildlife like the Florida Panther, and assert the surrounding environment couldn鈥檛 be obliterated. That鈥檚 why they shut down plans to build the Everglades jetport her in the 1970s.鈥�
Environmental advocacy groups including Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity have filed suit in federal court in South Florida to block Alligator Alcatraz鈥檚 operation. They claim its construction has not met the criteria of federal guidelines such as the National Environmental Policy Act and the Administrative Procedure Act.
DeSantis argues the facility 鈥� which sits on a tract of Miami-Dade County-owned land the state has now expropriated amid "significant concerns" voiced by Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava 鈥� is a necessity to address what he calls the 鈥渆mergency鈥� of illegal immigration in Florida.
The governor's opponents say DeSantis greatly exaggerates that "crisis" in order to curry favor with the Trump voters he covets for his own presidential aspirations.
'Political stunt'
Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki blasted Trump鈥檚 visit Tuesday, calling the project 鈥渁 political stunt.鈥�
鈥溾�楢lligator Alcatraz鈥� is the kind of corrupt abuse of power we've come to expect from Florida Republicans, and Trump's visit underscores the fact that this project is a political stunt,鈥� she said in a statement.
Fried's counterpart, Florida Republican Party Chairman Evan Power, said Trump is 鈥渄oing what [former President Joe] Biden never would 鈥� securing our border and keeping Americans safe.鈥�
He said the project has 鈥渋mmense public support,鈥� noting the RPOF has sold thousands of 鈥淎lligator Alcatraz鈥� themed shirts, hats, and gear.
鈥淎mericans want swift deportations and a secure border, and now they're proudly wearing their shirt and hat to show it,鈥� he said in a statement.
A demanding a halt to the project collected nearly 11,000 signatures. The petition bashes the state plan to detain and process up to 5,000 migrants at the remote detention center.
DeSantis has said Alligator Alcatraz's $450 million-a-year cost will be reimbursed to the state via funding it receives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA 鈥� which critics complain is supposed to be used for more urgent purposes such as post-hurricane aid.
Environmental concerns
Even some Trump supporters at the site on Tuesday expressed environmental concerns.
鈥淲e have only one Everglades, we have to protect it at all costs,鈥� said Trump voter Chaunce O鈥機onnor, a Miami advertising employee. 鈥淭herefore, whatever environmental precautions they say they鈥檙e taking for this project, they need to double them 鈥� and make sure this facility isn鈥檛 here for the long run, that it鈥檚 temporary.鈥�
That said, O鈥機onnor said he backs the policy spirit of Alligator Alcatraz: 鈥淓very country has immigration laws and should enforce them. Sadly, if people weren鈥檛 violating those laws, we wouldn鈥檛 need this out here in the first place.鈥�
Another Trump supporter, Bob Kunst 鈥� a Miami Beach resident who says he鈥檚 a registered Democrat but has split with the party on issues like immigration 鈥� said liberals in the U.S. have brought controversies like Alligator Alcatraz on themselves.
鈥淭hey encouraged letting millions of people into the country illegally, which is a slap in the face to everyone who came in legally,鈥� Kunst said, holding a sign that read "We Love 'Daddy' Trump."
鈥淲hy would they play that stupid game?鈥�
As for the complaints of cruelty, he added, 鈥淭hey鈥檒l be in air conditioning, they鈥檒l get three meals a day, and the ones that are bad will get flown out 鈥� what鈥檚 the problem?鈥�
As he departed for Florida on Tuesday, Trump joked that Alligator Alcatraz鈥檚 detainees will have to 鈥渓earn to run zig-zag鈥� in order to escape the surrounding wildlife.
