Camilla Jessen
Donald Trump’s brand-new detention center, “Alligator Alcatraz,” is predicted to cost taxpayers an alarming $450 million.
Donald Trump’s latest immigration crackdown has taken an unexpected turn deep into Florida’s Everglades, where his administration has built a new detention center dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz.”
Surrounded by deadly wildlife and mosquito-infested swamplands, the facility is being touted by Trump as a “cost-effective” solution for mass deportations, despite its $450 million annual price tag for taxpayers.
Doubling Detention Capacity
Opened on July 1, Alligator Alcatraz is located on an abandoned airstrip at the Dade-Collier Training and Transport Airport.
The high-security facility can house up to 3,000 detainees, with plans to expand capacity to 5,000.
Packed with bunk beds enclosed by chain-link fences, the center is intended to more than double the U.S. government’s migrant detention capacity from 41,000 to 100,000 beds.
Detention Center in the Middle of the Swamp
But the swamp’s treacherous environment is not just a byproduct of location. It’s part of the plan.
Trump’s strategy involves using the facility’s harsh conditions as a deterrent for illegal immigration and as pressure on detainees to self-deport.
Detainees Describe Inhumane Conditions
Accounts from detainees reveal a grim reality. Rafel Collado, a Cuban migrant, described the facility as a “dog cage,” suffering from a painful foot fungus infection due to floodwater and lack of hygiene.
Another detainee, Juan Palma, told NBC News: “I feel like my life is in danger,” citing relentless mosquito attacks and fluorescent lights that never turn off.
Both men acknowledged having criminal records but emphasized they had served their sentences.
According to data, nearly 72% of people in U.S. detention centers currently have no criminal record.
Trump Praises “Bodyguard Alligators”
Despite mounting criticism, President Trump praised the facility during a visit in early July.
“We’re surrounded by miles of treacherous swampland and the only way out is, really, deportation.
This is an amazing thing that they’ve done here,” he told reporters.
Trump quipped that the alligators serve as unpaid “bodyguards” and claimed the site was “beautiful and secure.”
A $450 Million Burden for Taxpayers
The financial cost of Trump’s “Alligator Alcatraz” is steep.
Florida State Senator Carlos Guillermo Smith estimates that the facility will cost taxpayers $450 million per year.
This is more than triple the cost of housing detainees in existing facilities.
“The average cost to incarcerate an individual in a regular state facility is about $27,000 per year,” Guillermo Smith explained. “At Alligator Alcatraz, that number skyrockets to over $90,000 per detainee per year.”
Hurricane Evacuations Could Add Millions More
With hurricane season approaching, critics are also warning about the facility’s vulnerability to extreme weather.
The swamp camp is not built to withstand a Category 3 hurricane, and the cost of evacuating thousands of detainees remains unknown.
Trump’s Latest “Gimmick”
Congresswoman Lois Frankel questioned the project’s logic, calling it a “gimmick” and pointing out that the funds could be far better used elsewhere.
“$450 million of taxpayer money is going into this — and for what? It’s an unnecessary expense,” she said.
