Hundreds lined a Florida highway Saturday to protest the construction of “Alligator Alcatraz,” a Trump-backed immigrant detention center in the Everglades that has sparked emotional backlash among local Native American leaders and environmental activists.
Protesters gathered along U.S. Highway 41, known as Tamiami Trail, with signs and American flags, demanding the halt of construction on the site, an abandoned airfield set to house 1,000 illegal immigrants as part of President Trump’s expanded deportation push. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has said the location is ideal due to the natural barriers of gators and swamps that surround it, calling it a “low-cost, efficient” solution.
But for many in the community, it’s an invasion. Native American leaders claim the site encroaches on ceremonial and burial grounds. Ecologist Christopher McVoy, who joined the protest, said the plans have left “people I know in tears,” citing both environmental damage and fears of stepped-up immigration raids in South Florida.
“This is sacred land, and we will not allow it to be turned into a prison camp,” one protester declared in a video posted on X, urging Americans to pray for “those lost to inhumanity.”
Environmental groups including the Center for Biological Diversity and Friends of the Everglades have filed lawsuits to stop the construction, warning that disruption to the interconnected waterways and wetlands could have long-term damage on endangered species and water quality across the region.
Florida officials, however, are moving quickly, with Uthmeier stating the facility could be operational within two months. The plan follows Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ call for additional temporary detention facilities to assist ICE and the Trump administration in cracking down on illegal immigration, aligning with Trump’s “America First” immigration enforcement priorities.
“The Everglades provides a natural perimeter,” Uthmeier told Florida’s Voice. “If people escape, there’s nothing out there but alligators and pythons. Nowhere to hide.”
The protests reflect the clash between Trump’s immigration enforcement agenda and local opposition concerned with environmental preservation and indigenous rights, while also highlighting the fear among immigrant communities amid a wider crackdown.
As construction equipment rolls in and lawsuits stack up, Florida has become the front line in the ongoing national battle over immigration enforcement, environmental policy, and land rights, with “Alligator Alcatraz” now a symbol of a deepening divide over how America handles its border and who pays the price.
