‘Alligator Alcatraz’: Uthmeier proposes immigration detention site in the Everglades

TALLAHASSEE — Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier is proposing a controversial plan to detain undocumented immigrants at a remote facility he’s calling “Alligator Alcatraz.”

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Uthmeier says the proposed detention center would include 1,000 beds and be built on an old airport tarmac surrounded in the Everglades — though not located within Everglades National Park.

Details about the project remain limited.

Uthmeier has not disclosed the estimated cost or how the facility would be funded but said it could be operational within 30 to 60 days of construction.

The announcement is already drawing national attention due to the name and location of the proposed facility.

Critics and immigration advocates are expected to weigh in as more information becomes available.

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About The Author
Ryan Mackey

Ryan Mackey

Ryan Mackey is a Digital Journalist at WPLG. He was born on Long Island, New York, and has lived in Sunrise, Florida since 1994.