MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Environmental activists gathered Saturday outside the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport deep in the Florida Everglades to protest construction of what they’ve dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz,” a controversial immigration detention center that Gov. Ron DeSantis says will expand the state’s ability to process and deport undocumented migrants.
The demonstration, organized by the Center for Biological Diversity and Friends of the Everglades, drew dozens of protesters to the edge of Tamiami Trail, not far from the remote airstrip where construction equipment rumbled past.
Activists accused the state of rushing the project without a thorough environmental review and warned of long-term harm to the Everglades ecosystem.
“They’re building something that is devastating to us from a humanitarian standpoint, from a moral injury standpoint, and from an environmental standpoint it’s just incredibly sad,” said a protestor.
The constant rumbling sound of trucks passing by shows the project has no signs of slowing down and some about what could be at stake.
“He (DeSantis) claims that this is not going to hurt the environment but the Everglades is a sacred space. It’s sacred to the indigenous folks and I’m out here to support them,” another protestor told Local 10’s Linnie Supall.
The facility, located at a little-used airport surrounded by wetlands, is expected to house more than 3,000 undocumented migrants. The site includes a runway to allow for deportation flights and is outfitted with temporary air conditioning units, restrooms and showers.
DeSantis visited the site Friday morning, providing a tour for Fox & Friends and defending the project as a response to what he called federal inaction on immigration enforcement.
“This is going to be a place where DHS has said we need help with the space so illegals can be processed and then they can be deported right from here,” DeSantis said during the broadcast. “This is going to have thousands of illegals and it’s going to increase the ability to do deportations.”
DeSantis has made immigration a centerpiece of his administration’s agenda and says the facility will relieve pressure on detention centers elsewhere in the state. But environmental groups filed a federal lawsuit late last week, arguing that the state failed to conduct an adequate environmental impact study.
The Florida Republican Party has leaned into the controversy, selling “Alligator Alcatraz” merchandise online and describing the facility as “surrounded by miles of swamp and bloodthirsty wildlife.” A promotional flyer read: “This ain’t no vacation spot.”
Despite the lawsuits and protests, DeSantis said the first group of detainees could arrive as soon as next week.
