ICE received additional funding from President Trump's "big, beautiful bill," and Alligator Alcatraz began operating.

In pursuit of immigration enforcement, the DeSantis administration quickly seized Everglades land to construct the center. A fleet of trucks transported crucial equipment into the sensitive area. Meanwhile, environmentalists sued to prevent the facility from operating, citing potential ecological damage. See the stories below.

The mocking of immigrant detainees harks back to “the worst parts of our history” when similar jokes and tropes, such as “gator bait,” were used to dehumanize Black people and desensitize people to the harm and violence inflicted upon them, says ACLU Florida Executive Director Bacardi Jackson.

Trump is celebrating — and even joking about — the harsh conditions of the controversial immigration detention facility in Florida.

Dozens of trucks carrying supplies could be seen going in and out of the facility on Saturday as protesters waved their signs towards them.

Demonstrators gathered at the entrance to the new Florida Everglades migrant detention center dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz" as President Trump made an opening-day visit to the controversial facility on Tuesday.

A legal and environmental firestorm is growing around Florida’s controversial migrant detention center — dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz” — under construction at the remote Dade‑Collier airstrip in the Everglades.