• Florida is constructing a controversial migrant detention facility dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz."
• Located in the Everglades, the site has raised health and environmental concerns from advocates.
• The facility is anticipated to cost about $450 million annually and initially house 1,000 detainees.
• Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier argues the site provides natural security due to surrounding wildlife.
• Local officials and environmental groups have voiced significant opposition citing human rights and ecological risks.

Construction has commenced on a migrant detention facility in Florida's Everglades, known as “Alligator Alcatraz,” as part of the Trump administration's intensified immigration policies. Proposed by Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, the site aims to temporarily house undocumented migrants awaiting deportation and is anticipated to cost approximately $450 million annually, funded largely by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) HuffPost, The Hill, ABC News.

Set on a remote airstrip near Miami, the site is surrounded by challenging natural barriers, including alligators and pythons, which Uthmeier claims associate with enhanced security for the detention facility. He stated it could house about 1,000 detainees within 30 to 60 days of initiating construction Newsweek, NPR, Reuters.

Environmentalists and human rights organizations have reacted strongly against the project, emphasizing potential ecological damage to the sensitive Everglades ecosystem and the poor living conditions that migrants might face. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Florida has criticized the site as a symbol of an increasingly punitive immigration system The Hill, South China Morning Post, Newsweek.

Local officials, including Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, have expressed concern over the speed of the project's approval and the lack of thorough environmental assessments. The mayor argues that the proposed site could have "devastating" impacts on the surrounding wetlands, prompting petitions from residents and environmental groups against this plan ABC News, Los Angeles Times, BBC.

Amidst these criticisms, Uthmeier and Florida officials remain focused on advancing the construction as part of a broader initiative to bolster border security and streamline deportation processes. The Florida Division of Emergency Management plans to facilitate the rapid development of the facility, which has already begun allocating resources towards its operationalization HuffPost, The Hill, NPR.