TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Gov. Ron DeSantis is calling “Alligator Alcatraz” an effective way to increase the number of removals and deportations.

“We were in a situation where there’s such a limited space that ICE has,” DeSantis said. “You know, do you want all of our jails to be overflowing with illegals, or would you rather have that done in a separate mission?”

The controversial immigration detention center in the Everglades is set to open Tuesday, and DeSantis said President Donald Trump is expected to be there.

“Get out of my swamp!” shouted a protester.

Hundreds of protesters, environmental activists, and Native Americans lined U.S. Highway 41 over the weekend to oppose “Alligator Alcatraz.”

“This is sacred land to the indigenous people and they deserve to keep it that way,” protestor Sofia Morales said. “These are not just wild public lands for everybody, but they’re also a sacred space for the indigenous community here.”

While advocating for their sacred land and the preservation of the Everglade’s ecosystem,  dump trucks rolled past hauling materials into the immigration detention center.

“This is my home,” Betty Osceola said.

It’s located on a small air strip in Miami-Dade County. The $450-million-a-year facility can house 5,000 undocumented migrants.

DeSantis’ administration seized the site using emergency powers to build the facility and he said by Tuesday it’ll be ready for business.

“You’ll be able to bring people in, they’ll get processed, they have an order of removal, and they can be queued, and you can the federal government can fly right on the runway, right there,” said DeSantis.
DeSantis said some of the state’s national guardsmen will be able to serve as immigration judges who will be on site.

8 On Your Side has been told: As of now, 100 soldiers have up to 100 soldiers providing support at the Dade-Collier Transition Airport in Ochopee starting Tuesday.

“We will have remote hearings as they have been happening for judges not always for council and detainees all over the state, and even outside of the state of Florida will be brought through this new facility to then be processed and have a final written disposition on their case,” said Florida based immigration attorney Renata Castro.

Castro is the founder of Immigration Law Firm “USA 4 ALL.” She said it’s not only the impact to the Everglades but its remoteness.   

“Such a remote area will result in inability for immigration detainees to access justice,” Castro said. “Let’s be reminded there is no constitutional rights to an attorney for an individual who is detained for an immigration violation, so they have to secure private immigration, attorneys that are undoubtedly overwhelmed at this time.”
Environmental groups filed a federal lawsuit suing the Department of Homeland Security and the State of Florida, claiming the site did not get an environmental review required by law. DeSantis argued under his directive, the state has invested “billions and billions of dollars into increasing and improving the hydrology of the Everglades.”