President Trump is heading to Florida to showcase one of his administration’s boldest immigration moves yet: the launch of “Alligator Alcatraz,” a remote Everglades detention center built to house illegal migrants awaiting deportation.

The new facility is designed to detain illegal migrants pending deportation and will operate under a partnership between the federal government and the Florida Division of Emergency Management. The federal government will provide funding while Florida manages the buildout and day-to-day operations.

According to reports, the site will initially open with soft-sided housing units capable of holding hundreds of detainees, with additional units planned for expansion in the coming weeks. The project will cost an estimated $450 million annually, funded through FEMA’s Shelter and Services Program, which was previously used under the Biden administration to house asylum-seekers.

The “Alligator Alcatraz” nickname comes from the facility’s location in the Everglades, surrounded by alligators and swampland, making escape nearly impossible. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier previously described the site as a “low-cost, high-security” solution for detaining criminal aliens, emphasizing that detainees would face “nowhere to go, nowhere to hide.”

Migrants arrested in Florida and those transferred by ICE will be housed at the site, which is part of the Trump administration’s broader effort to expand deportations and tighten immigration enforcement.

Trump will be joined at the opening by DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, underscoring the administration’s focus on delivering visible enforcement actions as it continues its post-Biden immigration crackdown. The visit signals a clear contrast with the previous administration’s policies, positioning the facility as a symbol of Trump’s tough stance on illegal immigration.

Critics have raised environmental concerns, noting that the facility sits near Native American lands and sensitive Everglades ecosystems, while supporters argue it is a necessary tool for restoring law and order to the immigration system.

As the site begins operations, “Alligator Alcatraz” is poised to become a high-profile test of the administration’s approach to immigration enforcement, border security, and federal-state cooperation in managing detention and deportation priorities.