Overview

• James Uthmeier proposed converting the 39-square-mile Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport into a temporary immigration detention site with up to 1,000 beds.
• He said the facility could be built and operational within 30 to 60 days and would use its existing runway to process and deport migrants.
• The remote site surrounded by alligators and pythons would serve as a natural security barrier, reducing the need for extensive fencing.
• The plot sits on Miami-Dade County land about 55 miles west of Miami and offers a 10,500-foot runway for potential airlifts.
• A federal judge held Uthmeier in civil contempt this week for defying a court order on Florida’s new immigration enforcement law.