Deportation flights have begun to leave Florida’s immigration detention center, also known as Alligator Alcatraz, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said Friday.
Three flights operated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have already taken off, DeSantis said. The first one had 100 detainees on board. It is not clear where the flights are going.
“The flights are going, I think the cadence is going to increase, I think you’re going to see the numbers really go up dramatically,” the governor said at a press conference.
DeSantis said he hopes Florida will be a “force multiplier” for deportations.
“I don’t want it to be where illegals are just stored there, and then just kind of sitting. I want it to be where illegals are here, there’s an aggressive processing and an aggressive deportation schedule,” he continued.
Alligator Alcatraz has been open since July 1 and now holds up to 2,000 immigrants lacking permanent legal status. The center, named for its location in the middle of the Florida Everglades surrounded by dangerous wildlife, holds a 2-mile runway to facilitate deportation flights.
Democrats have called for the facility to close, saying it’s a “cruel and inhumane stunt.” Other reports state some cells contain up to 30 people crammed together.
On July 13, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem defended Alligator Alcatraz, saying, “Our detention centers at the federal level are held to a higher standard than most local or state centers and even federal prisons. The standards are extremely high.”
There is also speculation that immigrants housed there are not receiving due process before being deported.
When asked about immigration lawyers not having access to their clients, DeSantis answered, “The idea that somehow you need some elaborate process in some of those situations, it’s just not factually true in terms of the law.”
Florida has conducted aggressive tactics to comply with President Trump’s immigration agenda and seeks to be even more involved.
The governor touted the idea that Alligator Alcatraz could hold up to 3,000 immigrants and expressed interest in opening up Camp Blanding Joint Training Center to detain even more immigrants.
“It’s all about realizing the vision, fulfilling the mandate with what people want,” he said. “Florida’s playing the leading role among the 50 states, and I don’t think there’s anyone who’s even close to doing what we’ve done.”
The administration is looking to create similar detention centers in other states such as Texas, Mississippi and South Carolina.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced last week that Indiana’s Camp Atterbury and New Jersey’s Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst will be turned into temporary migrant detention centers.
