Trump's new immigration jail surrounded by alligators: "If they escape, don't run in a straight line."
Alligator Alcatraz is located 60 kilometers from Miami in the middle of swamps and has capacity for 5,000 people.
BarcelonaUS President Donald Trump visited an immigration detention center his administration installed—in record time—in a remote area of the Florida Everglades on Tuesday. The center, dubbed Alligator Alcatraz, is located about 60 km from Miami, in a vast subtropical wetland teeming with alligators, crocodiles, and pythons. A demonstration of the White House's hardline stance on immigration.
Trump praised the facility's rapid construction as he examined rows of empty bunks locked in cages, and clearly warned of the threatening conditions surrounding the center: "I look out, and it's not a place I want to go hiking. We're surrounded by miles of deportation," he said at a press conference from the center. Later, in another address to the press, he added: "If they escape, don't let them run in a straight line, let them run like this," he said, making a zigzag motion with his hands. "Their chances of survival will increase by 1%."
The South Florida facility is estimated to cost $450 million annually and will be able to house around 5,000 people, according to officials. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has said he will send 100 National Guard troops and that people could start arriving at the facility as early as Wednesday, according to Reuters. The Trump administration's social media posts announcing the new center include images of alligators wearing Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents' hats.