Florida AG Unveils Plan for Immigrant Detention Camp Surrounded by Alligators and Pythons

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has proposed a new immigrant detention facility nicknamed "Alligator Alcatraz," located at a remote airport site surrounded by Everglades wildlife.

The facility, which would hold up to 1,000 people, is planned for the 39-square-mile Miami Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport.

In a video posted on X, Uthmeier said the facility represents "an efficient, low cost opportunity to build a temporary detention facility because you don't need to invest that much in the perimeter. If people get out, there's not much waiting for them other than alligators and pythons." He stated the site could be operational within 30 to 60 days of construction.

According to Fox Business, the location was selected in part due to its airstrip, which could be used to transport detainees. Although surrounded by Everglades terrain, the site is not part of the Everglades National Park. "This presents a great opportunity for the state of Florida to work with Miami Dade and Collier counties," Uthmeier added.

The announcement comes days after Uthmeier was found in civil contempt of court by U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams for violating her restraining order against a new Florida law that criminalizes undocumented immigrants entering the state. The judge cited an April 23 letter in which Uthmeier told police agencies there was "no judicial order that properly restrains" them from enforcing the statute.

"Litigants cannot change the plain meaning of words as it suits them, especially when conveying a court's clear and unambiguous order," Judge Williams wrote, adding that "fidelity to the rule of law can have no other meaning."

As part of the contempt ruling, Uthmeier must file bi-weekly reports detailing any enforcement actions under the disputed statute. He responded defiantly through a post on X on Tuesday:

Uthmeier, 37, previously served as chief of staff to Governor Ron DeSantis before being appointed attorney general in February. The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld Judge Williams' injunction, which remains in effect while the constitutional challenge to the state law proceeds.