Florida, US (EFE).- United States President Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron Desantis inaugurated a new migrant detention center on Tuesday, controversially dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz,” located deep in the Everglades. The facility is expected to house immigration judges on site to fast-track deportation proceedings.
Standing beside Trump at the remote site, Governor DeSantis announced plans for rapid legal processing of migrants.
“We’re offering members of the Florida National Guard and others to serve as immigration judges,” DeSantis told reporters. “We’re working with the Department of Justice to get the necessary approvals.”
According to DeSantis, the goal is to process and deport detainees within one to two days of arrival at the facility.
President Trump landed at the site around 10:30 am local time, greeted by DeSantis and accompanied by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
The detention center is located on a repurposed abandoned airstrip roughly 43.5 miles west of Miami.
Trump jokes about alligators and security
Upon arrival, Trump highlighted the unusual location, an ecologically sensitive wetland area known for its alligator population, and praised the natural beauty of the site.
“You don’t always get land this beautiful and this secure,” Trump said. “We’ve got a lot of security, lots of cops in the form of alligators. And the best part is, you don’t have to pay them much.”
The president’s comments echoed previous remarks made from the White House garden, where he also joked about using alligators as deterrents along the border.
Environmental backlash and legal concerns
The facility, with a capacity for 5,000 detainees, has drawn sharp criticism from environmentalists and local politicians.
The site sits in a high-value ecological zone, rich in biodiversity, and activists claim the project bypassed environmental laws to speed up construction.
According to DeSantis, the center was built in just eight days.
Despite the backlash, state authorities are also developing a second detention center near Jacksonville as part of a broader strategy to handle increased migration. EFE
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