MIAMI — Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier is backing a controversial proposal that would create what he calls “Alligator Alcatraz” — a massive immigration detention facility in the heart of the Everglades.
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In an interview with Fox Business on Tuesday, Uthmeier revealed that state officials are eyeing a large parcel of Miami-Dade County–owned land that includes its own airstrip. If approved, the remote site would become Florida’s largest immigration detention center — and one of the most unusual in the country.
“If somebody were to get out, there’s nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. Only the alligators and pythons are waiting,” Uthmeier told Fox correspondent Danamarie McNicholl. “That’s why I like to call it ‘Alligator Alcatraz.’”
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The facility would be used to detain suspected undocumented immigrants, process their immigration cases, and quickly deport them using the on-site airstrip, Uthmeier said. He added that the project could be operational within 60 days if it gains the necessary approvals from local, state, and federal authorities.
The proposal arrives amid an aggressive immigration crackdown spearheaded by President Donald Trump during his second term. Trump has pledged to ramp up enforcement and deportations, declaring in a March address to Congress his intention to “complete the largest deportation operation in American history.”
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According to federal sources, the administration has instructed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers to target at least 3,000 arrests per day — a dramatic increase from the roughly 650 daily arrests at the start of Trump’s current term.
Uthmeier claims the Everglades facility would relieve the burden on Florida’s local jails and reduce the state’s reliance on federal holding centers, many of which have been operating over capacity.
The proposed site’s isolation — deep within the wetlands, surrounded by dangerous wildlife — is being touted by Uthmeier as a built-in security feature. But critics are already raising concerns about the optics and human rights implications of placing detainees in such an extreme environment.
No timeline has been set for a public hearing or formal review of the project.
Stay with The Space Coast Rocket for updates on this developing story.
