COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis held a news conference Friday morning at the immigration center, dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz,” in the Everglades.
During the news conference, DeSantis and other state officials touted the immigration facility and the state’s efforts to stop illegal immigration, while warning that “there will be a surge in arrests.”
The governor also announced that the Department of Homeland Security has begun deportation flights out of the facility. The flights have transferred about 100 detainees from the immigration detention center to other countries, DeSantis said.
“The cadence is increasing. We’ve already had a number of flights in the last few days. We’ve had hundreds of illegals have been removed from here,” DeSantis said. “The reality is, this provides an ability to enhance the mission, to increase the number and frequency of deportations.”
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The controversial immigration site officially opened on July 1 after President Donald Trump toured the facility that officials say will eventually be able to house up to 4,000 detainees. According to DeSantis, the facility’s current capacity is 2,000 detainees.
The center, which is surrounded by swamps filled with mosquitoes, pythons and alligators, was built in eight days over 10 miles (16 kilometers) of Everglades. It features more than 200 security cameras, 28,000-plus feet (8,500 meters) of barbed wire and 400 security personnel.
The opening of the immigration detention center has received backlash from environmentalists, advocacy groups, and public officials over allegations of poor conditions at the facility.
One of the main goals of Friday’s news conference was “debunking a lot of the nonsense,” DeSantis said, referring to the allegations.
When asked about reports of medical neglect in the facility, Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie called the allegations “absolute crap.”
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“We have that medication on site. We have a medical doctor on site. We have nurse practitioners on site. We have RNs and a complete medical staff. We can deal with trauma on site. We have four paramedics on duty at all times, in conjunction with the medical staff. So again, all of that is false, every single bit of it,” Guthrie said.
