Florida’s detention center is getting a makeover, thanks to the federal government. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Monday the federal government will fund an effort by Florida to set up immigration detention centers, which include a proposed site in the Everglades that state officials have dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz.”
“Under President Trump’s leadership, we are working at turbo speed on cost-effective and innovative ways to deliver on the American people’s mandate for mass deportations of criminal illegal aliens,” Noem said in a statement to CBS News. “We will expand facilities and bed space in just days, thanks to our partnership with Florida.”
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Detention centers run by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are facilities used to detain non-citizens who are awaiting immigration proceedings, deportation, or asylum decisions. These centers are part of the U.S. immigration enforcement system and are intended to ensure that individuals appear for court hearings or removal from the country.
In Florida, ICE operates and contracts with several detention centers due to the state’s large immigrant population and proximity to Latin America and the Caribbean. These facilities include both government-run and privately operated centers.
Noem said the detention facilities in Florida will be funded “in large part” by the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s shelter and services program, an initiative created by Congress to support groups and cities receiving migrants and asylum-seekers released from federal custody along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Under President Donald Trump’s renewed immigration agenda, ICE has escalated its enforcement tactics across the U.S., particularly in immigrant-rich urban areas. Large-scale raids have been reported in cities like Miami, Los Angeles, and Chicago, often involving heavily armed agents and the use of military-style gear. These raids have taken place in workplaces, homes, and even community gatherings, drawing criticism for their intimidation tactics and disregard for due process.
ICE has also begun operating in sensitive locations such as hospitals and schools, areas previously considered off-limits, sparking public outrage. Surveillance measures have intensified, with AI-driven tools used to scan social media and facial recognition software often leading to mistaken arrests, including of U.S. citizens.
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Adding to the controversy, ICE has begun using its operations as media events, inviting sympathetic press and publicizing high-drama footage of detained immigrants being loaded onto planes, often shackled and flown out of the country. Deportations to unstable regions like El Salvador and Guatemala have resumed at full force, despite international criticism. Many advocates argue that ICE’s focus has shifted from lawful immigration enforcement to psychological warfare, aiming to spread fear through spectacle and punitive messaging, while diverting resources from more urgent criminal investigations.
On Monday, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced the federal government had “approved” the state’s plan to build “Alligator Alcatraz” and other facilities that he said could collectively house as many as 5,000 detainees. He said the facilities could start receiving detainees early next month, calling them temporary.
“There’s really nowhere to go. If you’re housed there, if you’re detained there, there’s no way in, no way out,” Uthmeier said in an interview with conservative commentator Benny Johnson, describing the “Alligator Alcatraz” facility.
In a statement Monday, Uthmeier said Florida officials “will fight alongside this administration to keep Florida safe, strong, and free.”
He went on to say that he was proud to help support President Trump and Secretary Noem in their mission to fix our illegal immigration problem once and for all and that Alligator Alcatraz and other Florida facilities will do just that.