Overview

• The state-run Alligator Alcatraz began receiving roughly 3,000 detainees on July 1 in tents erected under emergency orders at the Dade-Collier airstrip.
• Detainees report severe shortages of water for hygiene, maggot-infested meals, relentless lighting and insect swarms, with some describing grasshoppers the size of hands.
• Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity filed suit on June 27 under the National Environmental Policy Act, seeking to halt operations over threats to protected wetlands.
• State officials defend the eight-day build and say annual operation costs total $450 million, with Florida fronting expenses pending FEMA and DHS reimbursement.
• Safety experts warn the temporary tents may not withstand storms, and Miami-Dade’s mayor has requested regular monitoring and scheduled site visits to the remote facility.