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Emigration and immigration

DeSantis Administration Builds Immigration Detention Center in Secret

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

The Florida Governor Ron DeSantis's administration rapidly constructed a sprawling immigration detention center in the Everglades without informing local officials, according to newly obtained emails. The facility, dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz," was built under an executive order that granted the state sweeping authority to bypass established laws and regulations. Local officials were left unaware of the project, with one county commissioner expressing frustration at the lack of communication.

Key Takeaways:

  • The facility was built on Collier County land, despite local officials being kept in the dark about the project.
  • The state used an executive order to seize county-owned land and bypass established laws and regulations.
  • The facility was constructed at a breakneck speed, with the state working with vendors to coordinate construction and send materials to the site.
  • Local officials, including a county commissioner and the emergency management director, were only informed of the project after being sent emails by state officials.
  • The county's emergency management director expressed frustration at the lack of communication, saying "Not cool!"
  • The facility was opened on July 1, just 10 days after Collier County first got wind of the plans.
  • The state relied on an executive order from 2023 to seize county-owned land and bypass established laws and regulations.
  • The executive order granted the state sweeping authority to suspend "any statute, rule or order" seen as slowing the response to the immigration "emergency."
  • The facility is located in Collier County, a wealthy, predominantly Republican area known for its white-sand beaches and the western stretch of the Everglades.
  • The executive order was originally signed by DeSantis and extended since then.
  • The facility is designed to house thousands of migrants in makeshift tents and trailers.

Statistics:

  • The facility was built on a county-owned airstrip located in southern Florida.
  • The executive order granted the state the authority to seize any county-owned land to build the facility.
  • The facility was opened on July 1, just 10 days after Collier County first got wind of the plans.
  • Over 100 emails, dated from June 21 to July 1, show the extent to which local officials were left unaware of the project.
  • The facility is approximately 45 miles (72 kilometers) west of downtown Miami.

Sources:

  • The Associated Press article published on [no date specified]
  • Collier County Commissioner Rick LoCastro emails obtained through a public records request.
  • Emails between Collier County's emergency management director and the Florida Division of Emergency Management.
  • Florida's executive order on illegal immigration, signed by DeSantis in 2023.

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