With the opening this week of the new "Alligator Alcatraz" federal immigration detention site in the Florida Everglades, more conservatively led states are looking at what they might do to replicate the prison.
Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., posted “Dear DHS: We’ve got a swamp and a dream. Let’s talk. South Carolina's gators are ready. And they’re not big on paperwork. If I was Governor, we'd be bringing Alligator Alcatraz to South Carolina.”
President Donald Trump joined Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at the site on Tuesday for a short tour. The immigration detention facility went up in a matter of weeks in a swampy area that is home to mostly mosquitoes, pythons, and alligators. The prison is called the Alligator Alcatraz since the reptiles and isolated area present a major deterrent to escape, similar to the former Alcatraz federal prison on an island off the California coast at San Fransisco which is surrounded by cold water pushed by strong currents. Sharks also swim around the island.
The first group of immigration detainees arrived at the Florida site shortly after Trump’s visit. The site can hold up to 3,000 and could be expanded to handle up to 5,000 prisoners.
Trump commented during his tour, “We’re surrounded by miles of treacherous swampland and the only way out is, really, deportation. This is an amazing thing that they’ve done here.”
According to Fox, White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller has made calls to all Republican governors to consider setting up similar detention sites in their states. "We want to go to every Republican state — now, of course, in a sane country, Democrats would do it, too, but they love the illegals and they hate the Americans," Miller said.
Jim Mishler ✉
Jim Mishler, a seasoned reporter, anchor and news director, has decades of experience covering crime, politics and environmental issues.
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