MIAMI, FL — Environmentalists across Florida are sounding the alarm over a controversial plan to construct a new federal detention facility deep in the Everglades, a move they say threatens one of the most fragile ecosystems in the United States. Nicknamed “Alligator Alcatraz” by opponents and supporters alike, the proposed facility is slated for construction near the fringes of the Big Cypress National Preserve, raising serious concerns among conservationists.
“This isn’t just about wildlife—it’s about water,” said Jessica Mendoza, an organizer with the Florida Environmental Defense Network. “Building a massive prison complex in a sensitive area like the Everglades risks polluting the aquifer that provides clean drinking water to millions of Floridians. Once you pave over wetlands, you can’t get them back.” Protesters gathered in Miami and Tallahassee this week, calling on state leaders and the Biden administration to halt the project immediately. Legal challenges from environmental groups are expected in the coming months.
While the prison has drawn heavy fire from conservationists, it has also become a flashpoint for debate on immigration enforcement. The facility is expected to house undocumented immigrants with criminal records—an approach critics say reflects a broader return to Trump-era immigration tactics.
Leading Democratic lawmakers have denounced the detention initiative, arguing that it revives harsh enforcement practices without addressing root causes of migration or offering meaningful reforms. “What we’re seeing is an alarming escalation of the same punitive strategies we fought under the Trump administration,” said Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-FL). “This is not how we build a humane, effective immigration system. Detaining people indefinitely in remote locations like the Everglades is not justice—it’s cruelty with a price tag.”
Frost’s comments come as no surprise considering the young Congressman’s background. Frost, who was never employed other than driving for Uber prior to his election to office, made a name for himself in central Florida as a left-wing activist. The district Frost represents encompasses downtown Orlando, and has replaced Miami as the most reliably hard left-leaning base of voters in the entire state. Some have compared it to Austin’s reputation as a bright blue dot in a dark red state.
Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA), a prominent voice on immigration policy, echoed these concerns, emphasizing that increased detentions disproportionately target Latino communities. “We cannot accept a framework that equates immigration status with criminality,” Padilla said. “We must distinguish between actual threats to public safety and the overwhelming majority of undocumented people who are working, raising families, and contributing to our economy.”
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), however, is pushing back on the criticism and offering a forceful defense of the new facility and its operations. In a release issued Monday, DHS highlighted a list of individuals recently arrested in Florida as part of its immigration enforcement efforts. According to the agency, many of those detained in recent weeks were not simply undocumented but had extensive criminal histories, including murder, rape, child exploitation, and human trafficking.
“These individuals are not just in the country illegally—they are dangerous felons who pose a direct threat to public safety,” the statement read. “Our mission is to uphold the law and protect American communities from the worst of the worst.” DHS noted that many of the arrests took place in cooperation with local law enforcement in cities like Miami, Tampa, and Orlando.
Among those arrested was a 36-year-old Mexican national in Jacksonville wanted in his home country for homicide, a Honduran man convicted in Florida for sexually assaulting a minor, and a Salvadoran national with known gang affiliations. The agency said that these individuals are being held in high-security detention pending deportation, and many will be transferred to the new Alligator Alcatraz facility once it opens later this year.
The opening of the Everglades detention center is part of a broader federal strategy to regionalize immigration detention and reduce overcrowding in urban facilities. But with growing bipartisan concern over both the environmental and ethical implications, the project is likely to remain under intense scrutiny.
Environmentalists and immigrant rights groups have vowed to continue their opposition, with a joint rally planned outside the federal courthouse in Miami next week. “We are fighting for people and for the planet,” said Mendoza. “We won’t let this prison rise in the heart of Florida’s most sacred land without a fight.”
