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Florida’s Everglades Detention Camp Houses First Migrants, Blocks Lawmakers’ Inspection

Experts warn that the tented facility’s location in flood-prone, mosquito-infested wetlands poses serious risks to all occupants

Workers install a sign reading "Alligator Alcatraz" at the entrance to a new migrant detention facility at Dade-Collier Training and Transition facility on Thursday, July 3, 2025, in Ochopee, Florida.
President Donald Trump, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem tour a migrant detention center, dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz," located at the site of the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport in Ochopee, Florida on July 1, 2025.
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Overview

  • The first migrants detained under Florida’s 287(g) program arrived July 4 at the camp’s 3,000-bed compound built in eight days at the former Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport.
  • Florida financed and constructed the facility entirely under state emergency powers, with a DHS filing affirming no federal funds have been used to date.
  • A bipartisan group of state lawmakers was barred entry to inspect the site, raising questions about compliance with Florida laws on legislative oversight of detention facilities.
  • Environmental and Native American groups have filed lawsuits arguing the site’s encroachment on protected Everglades wetlands and sacred tribal lands threatens ecosystems and cultural heritage.
  • White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller has urged GOP governors to partner with DHS on similar state-run detention camps as a deterrent strategy.