Bunk beds and 28,000 feet of razor wire. Look inside Florida’s Alligator Alcatraz
President Donald Trump joined Gov. Ron DeSantis Tuesday morning on a highly publicized tour of the “Alligator Alcatraz” immigrant detention facility.
So, what does it look like?
Videos and photos posted on social media give a glimpse into the new facility, which is mostly composed of tents and trailers and is located at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport, surrounded by wetlands that are home to gators, pythons and other wildlife.
Inside the detention center are rows of two-tier bunk beds inside large cells that are totally surrounded on the sides and top by chain-link fencing.
Fire and paramedics are on site, according to officials. The facility, which has portable restrooms and showers, has power with backup generators in place.
“There are over 13 different vendors that came together to get this solved in eight days, truly a whole of private sector partnership to get that done,” Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie said during a news conference Tuesday.
“We put a staff village here on site with a capacity of 1,000,” Guthrie said. “Our services are hot meals three times a day. 24/7 medical facility, pharmacy, air conditioning, access to indoor and outdoor rec yards, legal and clergy support services, laundry.
“Our security element is over 200 security cameras throughout the facility, more than 28,000 feet of barbed wire, 400 plus security personnel, to include 200 men and women, soldiers and airmen,” he added.
The federal government has said they will reimburse the state through a FEMA program that has set aside $650 million for the detention effort.
Alligator Alcatraz, as the state officially calls the facility, lies in the Everglades about 40 miles west of Miami International Airport and halfway to Naples. Over the past week, the DeSantis administration built the detention camp on the site of the idle airstrip, which the state seized, using its emergency powers.
READ MORE: Trump arrives in Everglades ahead of opening day for Florida-run immigration facility
The 1,000-bed, taxpayer-funded facility is just east of Big Cypress National Preserve, which is federally protected land, and it’s surrounded on three sides by Miccosukee and Seminole tribal infrastructure, including homes and ceremonial sites. The site, which officials describe as temporary, will consist primarily of large tents and trailers and is expected to house undocumented immigrants detained both within and outside Florida.
DeSantis has repeatedly said that the facility will not expand beyond the existing concrete airstrip. The tents, officials say, were placed on new flooring above the hot asphalt.
This story was originally published July 1, 2025 at 1:12 PM.
