Inside Alligator Alcatraz, Trump's migrant detention camp in Florida swamps

Donald Trump visited 'Alligator Alcatraz', a remote Florida migrant camp built in eight days across 16 km of Everglades, featuring gator-filled swamps, barbed wire, and 400 security personnel

A remote detention centre built deep in Florida’s Everglades and surrounded by alligator-infested swamps has become the latest flashpoint in America’s immigration debate. President Donald Trump visited the centre, dubbed ‘Alligator Alcatraz’, on Tuesday, alongside Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. 

The facility has earned its nickname for its extreme isolation, natural barriers, and militarised infrastructure. Located nearly 80 km west of Miami on a secluded airstrip, the centre was constructed in just eight days, covering 16 km of swampy terrain with barbed wire, 200 security cameras, and 400 security personnel, Associated Press reported.

 

Facility details and future plans

Designed to house up to 5,000 migrants, Governor DeSantis clarified that the centre will initially detain around 3,000 people, with the first arrivals expected soon. Medical facilities and other administrative units have already been set up. 

 

Trump floated the idea of replicating the model elsewhere, calling it “perfect”. “Pretty soon, this facility will handle the most menacing migrants, some of the most vicious people on the planet,” he said, as quoted by Associated Press. 

He also proposed the use of Florida National Guard troops as immigration judges to accelerate deportations — and even went further to suggest deporting US citizens convicted of violent crimes. “They’re not new to our country. They’re old to our country. Many of them were born in our country. I think we ought to get them the hell out of here, too,” he said.   

 

‘Alligator guards’ and swamp-bound security

Touring the site, Trump described it as a prototype for future migrant detention camps, quipping that the surrounding Everglades wildlife doubled as guards. 

“A lot of bodyguards and a lot of cops in the form of alligators — you don’t have to pay them so much… I wouldn’t want to run through the Everglades for long. It will keep people where they’re supposed to be,” he said. “We’re surrounded by miles of treacherous swampland and the only way out is really deportation.” 

During his visit, Trump toured medical facilities and other areas of the camp, followed by a roundtable discussion. “We’re going to teach them how to run away from an alligator if they escape prison,” Trump said, moving his hand in a zigzag motion. “Don’t run in a straight line. Run like this… And you know what? Your chances go up about 1 per cent.” 

US President Donald Trump at a temporary migrant detention centre, known as "Alligator Alcatraz", in Florida. (Photo: X/Secretary Kristi Noem)

 

Protests and environmental backlash

Trump’s visit was met with large-scale protests. Hundreds of environmentalists, human rights advocates, and Indigenous groups demonstrated against the facility’s location and the administration’s immigration policies. Protesters raised alarms about damage to endangered species, the ecological balance of the Everglades, and the threat to Native American heritage sites. 

Trump dismissed the environmental concerns, saying, “There was already an airstrip in the area, which meant authorities won’t be dropping dirt... Frankly, it’s, like, perfect. I don’t think you’re doing anything to the Everglades. You’re just enhancing it.”

 

A symbol of Trump’s immigration vision

The visit is part of Trump’s broader immigration campaign. During his presidency, he reportedly discussed building a moat with alligators at the southern border, a claim he denied. He has more recently floated reopening Alcatraz or using Guantanamo Bay and a prison in El Salvador for migrant detention.

 

[With AP inputs]