A newly built immigration detention centre in Florida’s Everglades—nicknamed “Alligator Alcatraz”—has gone from construction site to online attraction in less than a week. The compound, located at the former Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport inside Big Cypress National Preserve, opened on 1 July after roughly eight days of work and an inaugural visit by President Donald Trump and Governor Ron DeSantis. Google Maps now provides directions to the site, and the listing has drawn more than 200 crowd-sourced reviews, most awarding five stars.
State highway crews erected official road signs pointing to the facility on 4 July, while private sellers have rushed to market branded caps, T-shirts, postcards and even a minted coin on Amazon and eBay. Online sales trackers show at least 48 postcards have already been purchased, underscoring the speed with which the camp has entered popular culture.
The rapid rollout has also intensified scrutiny. Environmental groups, Native American organisations and human-rights advocates argue that the swamp-based location exposes detainees to flood hazards, hurricane-force winds and mosquito-borne illnesses. Epidemiologist Durland Fish told the Washington Post that viruses detected in the surrounding wetlands can cause encephalitis. Media reports say the centre flooded once during construction and has yet to secure formal federal funding or building approvals.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has described the project as a potential template for additional high-security migrant facilities, prompting Alaska officials to joke about creating a "Bear Alcatraz." While supporters frame the Everglades camp as a tough deterrent, opponents contend that its environmental and safety risks outweigh any immigration-control benefits. The debate is likely to expand as the centre begins processing larger numbers of detainees in the coming weeks.
