A swampy turn has been taken by Florida’s attempt to be in the forefront of President Donald Trump’s plans for mass deportations.
This week, the state began construction of a temporary detention facility in the Florida Everglades for undocumented immigrants detained by state police and federal immigration authorities, with approval from the Department of Homeland Security.
In a social media post on Monday, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noems stated that the FEMA Shelter and Services Program will play a major role in funding the facility and that the federal government is moving at breakneck speed.
Following his administration’s offer to purchase the land from the county, Governor Ron DeSantis is use emergency powers to seize control of the facility. The governor’s office claims that Daniella Levine Cava, the mayor of Miami-Dade County, offered the state $190 million, which DeSantis’ administration deemed an exorbitant price to purchase the county land.
Time is of the essence. In a letter alerting the county to the emergency takeover, the Division of Emergency Management stated that we must move quickly to guarantee preparedness and continuity in our statewide operations to support the federal government with immigration enforcement.
Florida’s top Democrats attacked Attorney General James Uthmeier’s original proposal, accusing the state of appropriating county-owned land, according to Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried.
In addition to being brutal, this proposed jail facility would have disastrous environmental effects. Uthmeier, a former chief of staff for DeSantis and the mastermind behind the Martha’s Vineyard immigration operation, is once again using human lives as props, Fried said Tuesday, adding that this facility would turn one of the world’s most treasured ecosystems into a prison camp for political gain, desecrate ecologically important wetlands, and violate tribal sovereignty.
Democrats in both the U.S. House and the state House also criticized the action, so she wasn’t alone in her disapproval.
The concept was first discussed by Uthmeier on X on June 19. Over the past five days, Uthmeier’s post has received 291,800 views.
The one-stop shop for implementing President Trump’s mass deportation policy is Alligator Alcatraz.Twitter: pic.twitter.com/96um2IXE7U
James Uthmeier, Attorney General (@AGJamesUthmeier) June 19, 2025
According to Uthmeier in the video, DeSantis has given state authorities the duty of locating new detention facilities, and Miami Dade Collier Training and Transition Airport is the best choice.
since the perimeter doesn’t require a significant investment. People leave since there are just pythons and alligators waiting for them. According to Uthmeier, there is nowhere to hide or go. The National Guard will be present, he added.
The facility is located in the center of the Florida Everglades and covers 39 square miles. Up to 1,000 beds could be brought online in the next 30 to 60 days, according to Uthmeier’s post.
Originally built in the 1970s to replace Miami International Airport’s runway, the Training and Transition Airport was put on hold due to environmental concerns. The airport’s website states that about 900 acres of its 24,960 acres have been developed. The rest is overseen by the Florida Game and Freshwater Fish Commission.
Both Uthmeier and DeSantis, his former boss, have been outspoken in their support of the Trump administration’s pledge to carry out mass deportations. Last month, state police and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers conducted a raid on an apartment complex constructing site close to Florida State University.
The Florida Legislature convened in special session shortly after Trump’s win to enact a measure that, among other things, makes it a first-degree misdemeanor for someone to enter the state illegally.
After the state was sued by the Florida Immigrant Coalition, the Farmworker Association of Florida, and two women without permanent legal status, U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams temporarily delayed the enforcement of SB 4C, which DeSantis signed on February 13.
On June 17, Williams held Uthmeier in contempt of court for calling the court’s decision halting the law illegal and illegitimate.
Fried, the chair of the FDP, was not alone in criticizing the plan.
According to U.S. Representative Maxwell Frost, Donald Trump, his administration, and his supporters have made one thing blatantly obvious: they want to use the government’s authority to abduct, torture, starve, and harm every immigrant they can because they despise them and are using them as a scapegoat for the severe problems that working people face.
Frost continued, “They only care about cruelty and spectacle; they don’t care if people live or die.” Anyone who backs this is a reprehensible excuse for a person, much less a public official.
State Representative Dan Daley stated that although Florida is too costly for Floridians, Attorney General Uthmeier is wasting his time on right-wing podcasts in an attempt to gain popularity.
Enough of appointees who chase cameras. Another politician attempting to go viral is not necessary in Florida. According to Daley, we require an Attorney General who will truly carry out his duties. We should find someone who can if Uthmeier is unable to.
The governor’s office claims that the facility will be fully self-contained for state use, meaning that no permanent building or vegetation removal will be required.
Florida Phoenix, Christine Sexton, and Jay Waagmeester
