US eyes Alligator Alcatraz-style migrant facilities across country
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Alligator Alcatraz, the nickname for the Florida migrant detention facility, has been widely criticized for its harsh conditions.
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US President Donald Trump tours Alligator Alcatraz, a new migrant detention facility at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition facility on July 1, 2025, in Ochopee, Florida (AP)
The US Department of Homeland Security plans to expand the model of Florida’s controversial Alligator Alcatraz migrant detention facility across the country, despite mounting criticism over its harsh conditions.
Speaking to CBS on Monday, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the facility, located in a Florida swamp near an airport, will serve as a blueprint for new, state-run detention centers. These would be strategically placed near jails and airport runways to enable what she called “efficiencies never had before.”
Noem noted she has directly reached out to governors and local officials, claiming that most are supportive. Many states aligned with President Donald Trump’s border security agenda have facilities that are either "empty or underutilized,” she said.
Sites in Arizona, Nebraska, and Louisiana are reportedly under consideration, including one ICE facility already operating on an airport tarmac.
Streamlining deportations, reducing costs
Noem argued the new model is “much better” than existing arrangements in private prisons or local jails, saying the proximity to airports would streamline deportations and reduce costs. However, she did not address ongoing concerns over due process for detainees.
Recent cases have shown that immigrants, some with legal status, have been deported without the opportunity to challenge their removal or access legal representation. Others have been relocated to faraway facilities, isolating them from families and legal support.
Medical neglect, overcrowding among abuses reported
Alligator Alcatraz, the nickname for the Florida facility, has been widely criticized for its harsh conditions. A recent Human Rights Watch report documented inhumane treatment in several federal detention centers in Florida, including abuse, medical neglect, overcrowding, freezing cells without bedding, and inadequate hygiene supplies.
Under Trump’s administration, immigration enforcement has ramped up significantly, with an increase in detentions and deportations. Critics say the crackdown has disproportionately targeted law-abiding immigrants, some of whom have lived in the US for decades, rather than the criminals and traffickers Trump vowed to pursue.
There have also been allegations that legal residents who spoke out against US support for "Israel" or criticized the occupation's war on Gaza have faced deportation threats, raising concerns about politically motivated enforcement.
