(Ochopee) The first group of immigrants was to arrive on Wednesday evening in a new detention center in the heart of the Everglades in Florida, baptized “Alligator Alcatraz”, according to the prosecutor general of the state.
“Alligator Alcatraz will welcome hundreds of criminal immigrants this evening,” said the Public Prosecutor General of Florida, James Uthmeier, on X. Next step: return from where they come from. »»
The arrival time and the origin of prisoners were not yet known. They were brought to the center by bus, the authorities said.
The center, located at an airport used for training, will have a capacity of around 3000 prisoners when it is fully operational, according to republican governor Ron Desantis.
The center was built in eight days over 16 kilometers from the Everglades. It has more than 200 security cameras, more than 8,500 meters of barbed wire and 400 security agents.
Environmental groups and First Nations tribes have protested against the center, claiming that it is a threat to the fragile system of the Everglades, that it would be cruel to detainees due to heat and mosquitoes, and that it is on land that tribes consider sacred.
It is also located in a subject subject to frequent torrential rain, which caused floods in the tents on Tuesday during the visit of President Donald Trump on the occasion of his inauguration.
State authorities claim that the complex can withstand a category 2 hurricane, with winds from 154 to 177 km/h, and that entrepreneurs have worked overnight to consolidate the flooded areas.
Mr. Desantis and other state officials claim that the establishment of the center in the Everglades, a wild and isolated region of Florida, has a dissuasive objective, and that the name of the famous Federal Prison of Alcatraz, a fortress island known for its brutal living conditions, aims to send a message.
This is another sign that the Trump administration and its allies use alarmist tactics to try to persuade people in an irregular situation to leave the country voluntarily.
Federal and state officials praised this project on social networks and on conservative waves, sharing a meme representing a complex surrounded by barbed wire and “guarded” by alligators bearing “ICE” hats for immigration and customs in the influence.
The Florida Republican Party has decided to raise funds for the detention center, selling t-shirts and cans of beer in its name.
