The 'Alligator Alcatraz' immigration detention facility opens, with Trump in attendance

On Tuesday, President Trump visited the site of a new immigration detention complex in South Florida that state authorities are nicknamed "Alligator Alcatraz."

President Donald Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem joined Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and other state leaders Tuesday for the opening of a controversial immigrant detention center, which has faced vocal pushback from Democrats, Native American leaders and activist groups over humanitarian and environmental concerns.

Trump said he would want to see such facilities in "really, many states" and talked about the possibility of deporting U.S. citizens as well. He endorsed having Florida National Guard forces serve as immigration judges to ensure migrants are ejected from the country even faster, despite the dubious constitutional implications of doing so.

“Pretty soon, this facility will handle the most menacing migrants, some of the most vicious people on the planet,” Trump said of the Florida site known as “Alligator Alcatraz.”

He added: “The only way out, really, is deportation.”

The controversial detention facility is at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport in the Florida Everglades, which has its own runway in an environment known for its treacherous terrain and wildlife. In his speech, Mr. Trump quipped, "We're going to teach them how to run away from an alligator if they get out of jail."

Democrats and immigration groups have strongly opposed the proposal because they think it is cruel. They have objected to putting people whom the administration has identified as being undocumented in the middle of a swamp surrounded by snakes and alligators in the middle of the Florida heat — and in an area of the state that is prone to hurricanes. But Uthmeier, DeSantis, and other Republicans say the facility is required for those reasons.

DeSantis said they think the first people to live in the detention camp will come on Wednesday. DeSantis said the site has been modified in just eight days to accommodate detainees, and he called the center a "effective way" to increase the numbers of removals and deportations of unauthorized immigrants as the state seeks to help the federal government's deportation efforts.

The facility will have up to several thousand beds to house, process and deport individuals who were in the country illegally. Florida officials say the site will have at least 200 security cameras, at least 28,000 feet of barbed wire, 400-plus security personnel, and 24/7 air conditioning.

National Democrats haven't spoken much about the problem, but Democrats in the state, who are in the minority, have been pushing hard to criticize the idea.

“They are locking people in a swamp in extreme heat with no clear plan for humane conditions,” state Sen. Shevrin Jones said Friday morning on a call with reporters organized by Florida Democrats.