The immigration detention center at an isolated Everglades airport is surrounded by mosquitoes, pythons and crocodile-filled swamps, only a few days away from operation, federal officials said Tuesday.
Florida officials are competing for what they call the “crocodile alcatraz” to help implement President Donald Trump Massive Deportation Agendaaiming to build a compound of heavy tent, trailers and temporary buildings, similar to the locations used in natural disasters.
In a distant and ecologically sensitive wetland about 45 miles (72 kilometers) west of downtown Miami, the facility’s construction is astounding as a brutal and inhuman human rights advocate.
State officials said the facility was crucial to supporting the federal government’s immigration crackdown, which led to record detentions, which was more than 56,000 immigrants in June, the largest number since 2019.
This is something to know.
5,000 detention beds until early July
According to the Florida Attorney General James UthmeierRepublican Gov. Ron DeSantis and a Key Architects National Active immigration law enforcement Activity. Uthmeier helps coordinate State-sponsored flights About 50 Venezuelans Martha’s Vineyards, Massachusetts, In 2022.
In the eyes of Florida officials, the harsh conditions surrounding the distant Everglades runway and its nearly 10,500-foot (3,200-meter) runway make it an ideal place for homes and transporting immigrants.
“We don’t need to build a lot of bricks,” Usmeer said in an interview with conservative media commentator Benny Johnson. “Luckily, Mother Nature does a lot of things on the periphery.”
“If you are placed there, if you are detained there, there is no way, no way to go out,” Uthmeier added.
The Trump administration hopes to more than double its existing 41,000 beds to detain immigrants to at least 100,000 beds.
The U.S. House of Representatives approved last month include $45 billion in four years spent on immigration detentionspending tripled. The Senate is now considering the legislation.
Democrats and activists condemn the plan
More than 50 years ago, environmental advocates including the famous Marjory Stoneman Douglas gathered to prevent the same land from becoming future The largest airport in the world.
Now activists are rallying to stop what some critics call state-backed “robbery.”
“The land is part of one of the most vulnerable ecosystems in the country, surrounded by Everglades National Park and the Great Cypress National Reserve,” a statement from Friends of the Everglades advocacy group. “Let’s not repeat past mistakes. This land deserves lasting protection.”
U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost, Democrat of Florida, condemned the detention center, saying it clearly used crocodiles as a “brutal wonder” in security measures.
“Donald Trump, his administration and his promoters made one thing very clear: they intend to use the government’s power to kidnap, cruelly, starve and hurt every immigrant they can – because they are very disdainful of immigration and use them to achieve serious problems facing staff,” Frost said in a statement.
Maria Asuncion Bilbao, Florida campaign coordinator for the American Friend Services Committee, warned that the health and safety of detainees are at risk.
“What happened is very worrying, it’s a dehumanizing level,” Bilbao said. “It’s like cruel drama.”
Bilbao, who led a group of immigration advocates who helped immigrants at an Ice Road office in South Florida, said she was concerned about the health risks of heat and mosquitoes and the challenges the site faced for community members who wanted to protest or monitor their activities there.
Department of Homeland Security is supporting the program
Department of Homeland Security officials expressed appreciation for the effort and the agency’s “partnership with Florida.”
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the new plant will be largely funded by shelter and service programs within the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), known for its response to hurricanes and other natural disasters.
“We are working at the speed of turbocharger to fulfill the American people’s mandate for mass deportation of foreigners in a cost-effective and innovative way,” Noem said in a written statement to the Associated Press. “We will expand facilities and beds in just a few days.”
A U.S. official said the cost of beds to manage the facility “through a group of suppliers” is $245 a day, or about $450 million a year. The fees will be incurred by Florida and reimbursed by FEMA, which owns a $625 million residential and service program fund.
Immigrants arrested by federal law enforcement officers 287 (g) Program Immigrants will be held in the facility, as well as Immigration and Customs Enforcement or Ice Detention.
Under the Revival 287(g) plan, local and state law enforcement officers can interrogate immigrants they are detained and detain them Potential deportation.
More than 280 such agreements have been signed in Florida’s institutions in all 67 counties, and more than one-third of the 720 agreements nationwide have been reached.
Florida is using emergency powers to build the site
According to then-President Joe Biden during his administration, state officials were using emergency powers to command land in response to the crisis the governor believed was caused by illegal immigration.
Florida is building the land owned by the county, with Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, local activists and Native American tribe leaders who consider the area to be sacred.
By relying on executive orders, the state was able to evade purchase laws and make the project quick, said Nikki Fried, chairman of the Florida Democratic Party, which involved abuse of power.
The order will grant state emergency management chief Kevin Guthrie the authority to approve, which includes the power to suspend “any statute, rule or order”, the ability to slow responses to emergencies and the ability to place selected law enforcement officers across the state under its “direct and coordinated order.”
“Governor DeSantis insists that under his leadership, Florida will help the federal government enforce immigration laws,” a DeSantis spokesman said in a statement.
“Florida will continue to lead immigration enforcement.”
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Associated Press writer Gisela Salomon covers Miami. Kate Payne is a member of the Associated Press/Reports Corps of the U.S. State Legislative Council News Initiative. US Report It is a non-profit national service program
