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Trump to Visit Detention Cent 07/01 07:19
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump is making a day trip to Florida's
Everglades on Tuesday for a firsthand look at a new immigration detention
facility that the White House suggests will be especially secure given that it
is "surrounded by alligators."
The detention facility is on an isolated airstrip about 50 miles (80
kilometers) west of Miami and could house 5,000 detainees. It's drawn protests
over the potential impact on a delicate ecosystem and criticism that Trump is
trying to send a cruel message to immigrants -- while some Native American
leaders have also opposed construction, saying the land is sacred.
But a key selling point for the Trump administration is the site's
remoteness -- and the fact that it is in swampland filled with mosquitoes,
pythons and alligators. The White House hopes that conveys a message to the
detainees being housed there and the world at large that repercussions will be
severe if the immigration laws of the United States are not followed.
Press secretary Karoline Leavitt noted that the center is "informally known
as Alligator Alcatraz," a moniker that has alarmed immigrant activists but
appeals to the Republican president's aggressive approach to deportations.
"There's only one road leading in, and the only way out is a one-way
flight," Leavitt said. "It is isolated and it is surrounded by dangerous
wildlife and unforgiving terrain."
Crackdowns on the border and harsh immigration policies have long been a
centerpiece of Trump's political brand.
During his first term in 2019, Trump denied reports that he floated the idea
of building a moat filled with alligators at the U.S.-Mexico border. "I may be
tough on Border Security, but not that tough," he said at the time.
In his second term, Trump has suggested that his administration could move
to reopen Alcatraz, the notorious and hard-to-reach island prison off San
Francisco. And Leavitt said the new Florida detention center's inhospitable
location -- and dangerous nearby fauna -- were pluses.
"A detention center surrounded by alligators, yes, I do think that's a
deterrent for them to try to escape," she said.
Former U.S. Rep. David Jolly of Florida, a former Republican who is now
running for governor as a Democrat, called the facility a "callous political
stunt."
The White House has similarly promoted the political shock value of sending
some immigrants awaiting deportation from the U.S. to a detention lockup in
Guantnamo Bay, Cuba, and others to a megaprison in El Salvador.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees are in detention
facilities for immigration reasons, like entering the country illegally or
overstaying a visa. They are either waiting for ICE to put them on the next
flight or bus ride home or are fighting their removal in immigration court.
If an immigrant is accused of or has committed a violent crime, he or she is
tried and held in state or federal criminal jurisdiction, separate from the
immigration system. In those cases, they may be transferred to ICE for
deportation after completing their criminal sentences.
State officials are spearheading construction of the Florida facility, but
much of the cost is being covered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency,
which is best known for responding to hurricanes and other natural disasters.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, whom Homeland Security Secretary
Kristi Noem has credited as the architect of the Everglades plan, first debuted
the proposal with a slickly produced video, complete with custom graphics
featuring red-eyed alligators and backed by a hard rock soundtrack.
The Florida Republican Party has fundraised off the facility, selling
branded T-shirts and beverage container sleeves. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis
suggested Monday that the facility could be open and "ready for business" by
the time Trump arrives.
DeSantis said the site has obtained approval from the Department of Homeland
Security, which posted an image of alligators wearing ICE hats and sitting in
front of a fenced-in compound ringed with barbed wire.
The governor, who challenged Trump for the 2024 Republican presidential
nomination, has also played up the fact that the site will be hard to escape
from.
"They ain't going anywhere once they're there, unless you want them to go
somewhere, because good luck getting to civilization," DeSantis said. "So the
security is amazing."
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