Overview

• Construction crews have begun converting the disused Everglades airstrip into 'Alligator Alcatraz', with 1,000 beds ready in days and 5,000 expected by early July.
• Officials are using Governor DeSantis’s emergency declaration to seize the Dade-Collier airport and erect temporary tents and trailers on site.
• Operating costs are estimated at $245 per bed per day—about $450 million annually—covered by Florida with federal reimbursement via FEMA’s Shelter and Services Program.
• Activists, environmental groups and the Miccosukee Tribe argue the camp risks fragile wetlands, wildlife and tribal heritage in the Big Cypress preserve.
• DeSantis has revealed plans to explore a second detention facility at Camp Blanding as part of Florida’s push to support President Trump’s mass deportation strategy.