Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
By
Posted June 27, 2025
Florida and federal officials have announced that the State would build a new immigration detention center nicknamed “Alligator Alcatraz” in the Everglades – an area of wetlands in the south of the state. Since the installation will be funded in part by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), some Floridians fear that this affects the rescue funds of hurricanes.
The secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, “uses FEMA funds to build her concentration camp Alcatraz in Florida.
Another June 23 X Post reads as follows: “The Florida building” Alligator Alcatraz “by diverting the funds of the FEMA shelters intended for housing and help. They don’t protect anyone, they fly emergency rescue money to build detention centers in a swamp. Cruelty is always the point. “
These statements come after that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted a season of the Hurricane of the Atlantic in 2025 more active, which takes place from June 1 to November 30.
The statements also follow President Donald Trump saying that he wanted to eliminate Fema And the states have managed the preparation and response to hurricanes and other disasters. NPR reported that FEMA seems less ready to respond to disasters under Trump due to a management upheaval, employee departures and the cancellation of a program that helped help in the event of a disaster.
The “Alligator Alcatraz” installation obtains its nickname Alcatraz, the former maximum security island in the Bay of San Francisco known for its privileges of isolation, security and minimum prisoners. The “Alligator” part is because the installation of 39 square miles will be located remotely in the Everglades, a swampy region surrounded by alligators and pythons, where “there is nowhere to go, nowhere to hide”, according to a video of June 19 published by the prosecutor of Florida James Uthmeier. The installation would be six miles north of the Everglades National Park.
Governor’s office Ron Desantis told Politifact that installation would use temporary buildings and shelters similar to those used during natural disasters. The location will be the abandoned Dade-Collier training and transition airport, which has an existing landing track. The state will use the site under the governor’s emergency powers.
The Ministry of Internal Security posted on June 23 on X that the installation is among its efforts to “deliver the mandate of the American people for mass deportations. The Alligator Alcatraz will expand installations and bed space in a few days, thanks to our partnership with Florida. ”
The government will allocate certain FEMA funds to the establishment, but it will not use a disaster relief funds.
The Florida emergency management division will strengthen the installation for those arrested by Florida’s police for immigration law offenses. An American program for immigration and customs application (ICE) delegate to agents of the law enforcement and local the power to perform specific immigration functions. Immigrants arrested in other states could also be transferred to the establishment in the care of Florida.
How the FEMA will finance “Alligator Alcatraz”
A spokesperson for Noem told Politifact on June 24 that the new immigration detention center in Florida would be largely funded by the FEMA refuge and services program. Information on this program is no longer available on the FEMA website, but a spokesperson for the DHS told us that FEMA had around $ 625 million in the funds of this program which can be allocated to the construction of the “Alligator Alcatraz” installation.
The DHS spokesperson also said that Florida will initially pay for the establishment, then will submit a request for reimbursement to FEMA and DHS.
DHS said the total cost of the installation will be around $ 450 million for one year. It is expected to open 30 to 60 days after construction, which started on June 23, according to the New York Times. He will open with 500 to 1,000 beds and should have 5,000 beds in early July.
The Congress approved the FEMA refuge and services program during the 2023 financial year to give money to the governments of states and premises and non -profit organizations that offer migrants a temporary shelter, food and transport. The program uses money that Congress has given customs and border protection and is administered by FEMA. Before that, including during the Trump administration, migrants received help as part of another FEMA program, the food and shelter emergency program, which is for people facing homelessness and hunger.
The emergency fund in the event of FEMA disaster, which is mainly used after natural disasters, is funded separately by the congress.
During his presidential campaign in 2024, Trump falsely said that the Biden administration was flying millions of people from Fema Disaster Aid Fund to help migrants. The financing of the shelter and services program does not occur at the expense of disaster victims.
Politifact previously pointed out that during the year 2024, which started in October 2023 and ended in September 2024, the Congress led customs and the protection of American border to give $ 650 million to FEMA for the shelter and service program.
Exercises 2021 to 2024, the Congress allocated approximately 1.5 billion dollars combined for the Shelter and Services program and the food and shelter emergency program. The Trump administration has ceased to finance the food and shelter emergency program.
“Alligator Alcatraz” is only one ways in which Florida plans to hold, treat and illegally expel immigrants to the United States.
Earlier this year, Florida proposed to build immigration detention sites. The “plan for state immigration implementation operations” indicates that it has identified several locations in the northeast regions and the state center-south that could serve as detention centers. The report indicates that to make the “seamless” detention and expulsion process, the locations “are generally” near the pistols.
DESANTIS said at a press conference on June 25 that Camp Banding Joint Training Center, a training base for the Florida National Guard, will soon be officially announced as an immigration detention center.
