Inside Alligator Alcatraz: Trump’s $450M Florida Prison for 5,000 Migrants Exposed

Alligator Alcatraz migrant detention center in Florida Everglades

In a dramatic tour this week, former President Donald Trump unveiled “Alligator Alcatraz,” a sprawling migrant detention complex situated in the heart of the Florida Everglades.

Video footage released on June 30 shows rows of metal bunk beds and chain-link enclosures, all set against a backdrop of swampland teeming with alligators, pythons, and crocodiles.

According to Trump, the facility—officially named the Dade Collier Training and Transition Center—was erected in just eight days at an estimated annual operating cost of $450 million. Trump quipped, “Biden wanted me in here, that son of a b—h,” as he strolled past empty cages .

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis confirmed that part of the expense will be offset by FEMA’s Shelter and Services Program, and officials indicated the first detainees could arrive as early as July 2.

Nicknamed “Gator Gitmo,” the center boasts 200 security cameras, 28,000 feet of barbed wire, and over 400 security personnel, supplemented by 100 National Guard troops. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt emphasized the site’s isolation: “There’s only one road leading in, and the only way out is a one-way flight,” she said, underscoring the administration’s hardline immigration stance .

Critics swiftly denounced the facility as inhumane. Viral social media posts likened the cages to concentration camps and raised concerns about the absence of visible ventilation. Environmental groups also warned that the construction could imperil endangered species protected under state law, though Florida officials argue those statutes don’t apply to state-run projects.

Despite protests, the Trump administration has embraced the center’s lurid branding—selling merchandise and circulating memes of alligators in ICE hats. Trump even demonstrated “gator-escape” drills, advising detainees to zigzag when fleeing predators. Looking ahead, he hinted at plans to replicate Alligator Alcatraz in other states, calling it “a system that works.”