OCHOPEE, Fla. – Gov. Ron DeSantis says deportation flights out of the immigration detention heart within the Florida Everglades dubbed ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ have begun, and a whole bunch of unlawful immigrants have already been flown out.
The governor’s announcement got here at a information convention with different state officers at a information convention on Friday.
What’s Alligator Alcatraz?
The backstory:
In June, the state used emergency powers underneath the route of DeSantis to take over the Dade-Collier Coaching and Transition Airport, a distant airfield within the coronary heart of the Everglades.
Pictured: Alligator Alcatraz.
The 4,000-bed immigration detention heart is constructed out of momentary tents, trailers and chain-link fences with barbed wire. It’s surrounded by alligators, pythons, mosquitoes and swampland.
The location formally opened July 1, with President Donald Trump and different federal officers becoming a member of the governor.
The White Home and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis are encouraging Republican states throughout the nation to comply with Florida’s lead and set up their very own variations of “Alligator Alcatraz.” (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP through Getty Photos)
Battle over immigration in Florida
Dig deeper:
Immigration enforcement has been a focus for DeSantis since Trump took workplace once more in January.
In February, the governor signed what he referred to as the hardest anti-illegal immigration invoice within the nation after a particular session of the Florida Legislature that triggered weeks of negotiations.
Pictured: Governor Ron DeSantis alongside State Home Speaker Danny Perez (left) and Florida’s Senate President Ben Albritton (proper).
DeSantis has additionally deputized regulation enforcement across the state to assist with federal immigration enforcement.
Together with the power within the Everglades, the governor has additionally publicly revealed plans for a second ICE detention heart at Camp Blanding – Florida’s Nationwide Guard coaching headquarters situated southwest of Jacksonville.
Pictured: Alligator Alcatraz.
The opposite aspect:
Alligator Alcatraz has confronted criticism from many Democrats and environmental activists.
Two teams, Associates of the Everglades and the Heart for Organic Variety, filed a federal lawsuit in late June alleging that federal and state businesses didn’t comply with environmental and land-use legal guidelines.
Pictured: Alligator Alcatraz.
Final week, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) formally filed a class-action lawsuit towards the Trump administration over alleged lack of entry to authorized counsel and violations of due course of for individuals detained at Alligator Alcatraz.
DeSantis has repeatedly pushed again towards such allegations.
What they’re saying:
Throughout Friday’s information convention, DeSantis stated the method of constructing, proudly owning and working Alligator Alcatraz has been “outstanding.”
“This was by no means meant to be one thing the place persons are simply held and we type of twiddle our thumbs,” DeSantis stated.
Pictured: Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at a information convention at Alligator Alcatraz in South Florida on July 25, 2025.
Florida Division of Emergency Administration Director Kevin Guthrie additionally responded to critics, saying the power can stand up to as much as Class 2 hurricane-force winds and plans are in place within the occasion of a significant hurricane within the area.
“When we’ve that scenario, we must do an evacuation,” Guthrie stated. “It is incumbent on the Florida Division of Emergency Administration, with our regulation enforcement companions, to have the ability to deal with that.”
What’s subsequent:
The governor stated Friday that extra flights are coming, and the airport on-site is ready to deal with commercial-sized jets day and evening.
The Supply: This story was written with info from a information convention at Alligator Alcatraz on July 25, 2025, with further particulars from earlier FOX 13 Information and FOX Information Digital experiences.
