How Alligator Alcatraz emerged in Everglades

These articles discuss the development and impact of "Alligator Alcatraz," a migrant detention facility in the Everglades.

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.

No image found

FILE -- The Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport in the Big Cypress National Preserve in Florida, in December 2019. Florida is building a detention facility for migrants nicknamed “Alligator Alcatraz,” turning an abandoned airport in the Everglades into the newest local prison designed to help the Trump administration carry out its immigration crackdown. (Erik Freeland/The New York Times) By ERIK FREELAND

NO. 1: FLORIDA SEIZES EVERGLADES LAND TO HOUSE DETAINED MIGRANTS IN ‘ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ’

The detention center represents a new, expanded front in the harsh optics deployed to dissuade migrants from entering the United States. | Published June 24, 2025 | Read Full Story by Ana Ceballos Syra Ortiz Blanes Alex Harris Doug Hanks

No image found

Ochopee, Fla., June 22, 2025 - Frame grab from video of the construction of ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ at Dade Collier Training and Transition Airport off Tamiami Trail . MUST CREDIT: Courtesy NBC 6 / TELEMUNDO 51

NO. 2: ‘ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ’ RISES IN THE EVERGLADES. SEE NEW IMMIGRATION DETENTION CAMP

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his administration plan to open the 1,000-bed facility the first week of July in the state’s latest move to increase immigration enforcement. | Published June 24, 2025 | Read Full Story by Devoun Cetoute

No image found

Organizer Betty Osceola speaks to protesters outside of the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport during the “Stop Alligator Alcatraz” protest in opposition to the construction of a massive detention facility for undocumented immigrants on the site, which is in the middle of the Florida Everglades, in Ochopee, Florida, on Saturday June 28, 2025. By Pedro Portal

NO. 3: PROTESTS CONTINUE OVER THE CONSTRUCTION OF ‘ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ’ IN THE EVERGLADES

Dozens of trucks carrying supplies could be seen going in and out of the facility on Saturday as protesters waved their signs towards them. | Published June 28, 2025 | Read Full Story by Pedro Portal Milena Malaver

No image found

A tribe member blesses protesters outside of the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport during the “Stop Alligator Alcatraz” protest in opposition to the construction of a massive detention facility for undocumented immigrants on the site, which is in the middle of the Florida Everglades, in Ochopee, Florida, on Saturday June 28, 2025. By Pedro Portal

NO. 4: FAA ISSUES ALERT NEAR ‘ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ’ IN THE EVERGLADES. IS TRUMP VISITING?

The VIP movement notification was set for Tuesday for Ochopee, Florida, the site of “Alligator Alcatraz.” | Published June 29, 2025 | Read Full Story by Grethel Aguila

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 Everglades deserves more, which is why we’re in court.’ | Published July 3, 2025 | Read Full Story by Alex Harris

Aerial view of structures including gigantic tents built at the recently opened migrant detention center, “Alligator Alcatraz,” located at the site of the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport in Ochopee, Florida on Friday July 04, 2025. By Pedro Portal

NO. 6: GIANT BUGS, HEAT AND A HOSPITAL VISIT: INSIDE ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ’S FIRST DAYS

Concerns about conditions for detainees were heightened when one was rushed out of the detention center Monday in an ambulance. | Published July 8, 2025 | Read Full Story by Ana Ceballos Alex Harris Claire Healy

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.