How is Alligator Alcatraz affecting South Florida? Here are 5 takeaways
Stories by Miami Herald journalists, with AI summarization
These articles focus on the new migrant detention center, "Alligator Alcatraz," in the Florida Everglades. They cover environmental, social and political implications.
Read the stories below.
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Trail guide John Kalafarski wears a bug shirt to fend off mosquitoes as he walks a trail in the Everglades near the so-called “Alligator Alcatraz.” Kalafarski and others who live and work in the area think people have a misconception about the Everglades. They call it home. By PHOTO BY AL DIAZ
NO. 1: MEET THE FOLKS WHO LIVE NEAR ‘ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ’ AND CALL THE EVERGLADES HOME
“I was kind of offended on the alligator’s behalf with the way they talk about them,” she said. “I don’t think the alligator wants its name attached to the word Alcatraz.” | Published June 28, 2025 | Read Full Story by Amanda Rosa
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A truck drives out of Dade Collier Training and Transition Airport off Tamiami Trail on Monday, June 24, 2025, in Ochopee, Fla. By D.A. Varela
NO. 2: ‘ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ’ SITS IN THE HEART OF THE GLADES, OUT PAST THE TOURIST AIRBOAT RIDES
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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis talks to members from the Florida National Guard after the press conference at the Broward County mobile testing at CB Smith Park in Pembroke Pines on Thursday, March 19, 2020. By DAVID SANTIAGO
NO. 3: DESANTIS LOOKING TO BUILD SECOND STATE-RUN MIGRANT DETENTION CENTER IN FLORIDA
“Alligator Alcatraz” isn’t the only migrant detention facility in the works. | Published June 25, 2025 | Read Full Story by Ana Ceballos
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Beds are seen inside a migrant detention center, dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz,” located at the site of the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport, as US President Donald Trump tours the facility in Ochopee, Florida on July 1, 2025. President Trump is visiting a migrant detention center in a reptile-infested Florida swamp dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz.” Trump will attend the opening of the 5,000-bed facility -- located at an abandoned airfield in the Everglades wetlands -- part of his expansion of deportations of undocumented migrants, his spokeswoman said. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP) (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)
NO. 4: BUNK BEDS AND 28,000 FEET OF RAZOR WIRE. LOOK INSIDE FLORIDA’S ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ
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Ochopee, Florida, June 28, 2025 - Protesters rally near Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport where a migrant detention center is being built. The center, which is being called “Alligator Alcatraz,” is in the middle of the Everglades. Protesters argue the detention center could damage the fragile ecosystem of the area. By Photo by Pedro Portal
NO. 5: DETENTION CENTER DRIVING OUT WILDLIFE, DAMAGING EVERGLADES, CRITICS CONTEND
The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories listed were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.
