Opinion/Alligator Alcatraz: A Critical Advance in Criminal Alien Detention
As America confronts ongoing border challenges, this facility offers a blueprint for preserving the rule of law while upholding both justice and mercy.
Within eight days in June 2025, the State of Florida, in close partnership with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), established a temporary detention facility at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport, aptly nicknamed “Alligator Alcatraz.” Located deep within the Everglades, this remote site leverages natural deterrents, such as treacherous swamps and dangerous wildlife, to secure arrested criminal illegal aliens and streamline the removal process. This Op Ed argues that Alligator Alcatraz represents an essential, morally defensible, and operationally effective response to the bedspace crisis and rising criminal incursions at the southern border.
The Biden administration’s porous southern border has facilitated an unprecedented influx of illegal aliens, many of whom have criminal records or pose security threats. State and federal authorities have struggled to find sufficient detention capacity, resulting in overcrowded jails and court backlogs. Governor Ron DeSantis’ recent initiative to create Alligator Alcatraz offers a robust solution: a high-capacity, secure, and efficient holding site designed to serve as a one-stop shop for processing, removal, and deportation flights.
In late June 2025, Florida officials secured federal approval and, within eight days, erected tents and temporary trailers on the abandoned Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport—an isolated, 24,960-acre airstrip within the Big Cypress National Preserve (OPB, 2025). Governor DeSantis underscored the airstrip’s utility: “You literally drive them 2,000 feet, put them on a plane and then they’re gone” (OPB, 2025, para. 4). This rapid deployment demonstrates intergovernmental cooperation and flexibility which are hallmarks of subsidiarity and limited government properly exercised.
The Everglades’ swamps teem with alligators, pythons, and venomous snakes, which are living deterrents that discourage escape attempts and external interference. Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) principles affirm that natural environmental features can complement conventional security measures by amplifying perceived risk to would-be escapees (Cozens, 2015). Moreover, Broken Windows Theory suggests that a well-maintained, high-security perimeter deters further lawlessness by signaling order and control (Wilson & Kelling, 1982). Combined, these theories validate the choice of a remote, inhospitable location.
Long before Alligator Alcatraz emerged, ICE detention centers and county jails across the nation were operating at, or well above capacity. A 2024 Congressional Budget Office report noted that average utilization of ICE beds exceeded 100% for months at a time, forcing detainees to be held in makeshift overflow facilities, repurposed county lockups, or released on recognizance, undermining both security and due process (Congressional Budget Office, 2024). In Florida alone, county sheriffs have testified to state legislatures that they lack sufficient cells to house an influx of criminal illegal aliens, resulting in increased recidivism, court delays, and public safety concerns (Florida Sheriffs Association, 2024). This bedspace crunch has not only strained budgets but also compromised the integrity of the justice system, making a dedicated, scalable facility an urgent necessity.
This facility is purpose-built for efficiency. Detainees undergo criminal and immigration proceedings (due process), receive removal orders, and board deportation flights on-site. Federal authorities can queue and load aircraft directly from the runway, expediting removals and reducing administrative delays. This consolidation addresses the bedspace crisis: at full build-out, the facility accommodates up to 5,000 beds, alleviating pressure on county jails and ICE detention centers (NYPost, 2025). By optimizing throughput, taxpayers benefit from lower per-detainee costs and reduced court backlog.
Critics have vilified Alligator Alcatraz as a "concentration camp," lacking empathy for migrants. Yet moral relativism yields no answers when criminal aliens terrorize communities and undermine the rule of law. From an ethics point of view, a Christian-informed view insists upon both justice and mercy: ensuring due process while safeguarding citizens against those who flout laws (CCC, 1992). By focusing resources on convicted or previously arrested aliens, those who have violated both U.S. sovereignty and criminal statutes, authorities maintain moral clarity. Self-deportation remains an option for non-criminal migrants who wish to avoid detention; yet those with criminal backgrounds merit secure confinement until removal.
Enforcement of immigration laws restores public trust in immigration policy and underscores federalism: state innovation backed by federal authority when national security is at stake. DeSantis’s call to expand the model nationwide resonates with strategists and those who seek pragmatic, law-and-order solutions rather than open-borders rhetoric.
Environmental advocacy groups and tribal leaders have criticized construction within the Everglades, citing risks to endangered species and sacred lands. Florida officials counter that temporary tents and trailers minimize ecological impact and that the project is exempt from standard environmental reviews under the Stafford Act emergency provisions (CBS Miami, 2025). Continuous monitoring and post-closure restoration plans ensure that the Preserve’s integrity remains intact while balancing conservation with security needs.
Policy Recommendations
Replicate the Model Nationally: Identify remote federal lands—decommissioned bases or training facilities—where temporary camps can be erected under expedited procedures.
Integrate Technology: Employ biometric tracking, drones, and thermal imaging to monitor perimeters and discourage escapes, adhering to CPTED enhancements.
Enhance Cooperation: Formalize interagency task forces to coordinate between DHS, state emergency management, and local law enforcement, ensuring rapid mobilization.
Ethics and Oversight: Establish oversight committees by industry professionals across the local, state, and federal level to audit facility conditions, preserving ethical treatment and due process.
Conclusion Alligator Alcatraz exemplifies how subsidiarity, CPTED, and Broken Windows Theory converge into a practical, morally defensible detention solution. By leveraging natural deterrents, centralized processing, and intergovernmental cooperation, Florida addresses the bedspace crisis, enhances public safety, and restores faith in immigration enforcement. As America confronts ongoing border challenges, this facility offers a blueprint for preserving the rule of law while upholding both justice and mercy.
References
ABC News. (2025, July 1). Trump says he'd like to see facilities like 'Alligator Alcatraz' in 'many states'. ABC News. https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-visit-new-alligator-alcatraz-migrant-detention-center/story?id=123347684
Catechism of the Catholic Church. (1992). Libreria Editrice Vaticana.
Cozens, P. (2015). Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design. Routledge.
Congressional Budget Office. (2024). ICE Detention Capacity and Utilization. https://www.cbo.gov/publication/57983
Florida Sheriffs Association. (2024). Testimony on Bedspace Shortages in County Jails. Florida Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing Transcript. https://www.flsheriffs.org/hearings/2024/bedspace
Office of Public Broadcasting (OPB). (2025, July 1). Trump plans to visit Alligator Alcatraz. OPB. Retrieved from https://www.opb.org/article/2025/07/01/trump-to-visit-alligator-alcatraz-florida-detention-site/
The New York Post. (2025, July 1). Stark first photos from inside 'Alligator Alcatraz' reveal bleak digs for up to 5,000 migrants. The New York Post.
Wilson, J. Q., & Kelling, G. (1982). Broken Windows: The police and neighborhood safety. The Atlantic Monthly.
Myers, C. (2025). Criminogenic Philosophy: Faith, Family, Formation. Substack. Retrieved from https://drcurriemyers.substack.com