Alligator Alcatraz 2.0 Already Set to Open on a Military Base in Florida [WATCH]

Florida officials confirmed plans this week to open a second immigration detention facility at Camp Blanding, the Florida National Guard’s primary training center, by the end of the month.

The announcement comes just days after the formal opening of the “Alligator Alcatraz” detention site in the Florida Everglades.

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said the state is committed to supporting President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement agenda and leading by example in the national effort to strengthen border control and deportation operations.

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“We want to lead and set the example for other states,” Uthmeier said.

“We’ve got to step up. We’ve got to help the president deliver on his promise to shut down the border for once and for all, and deport people back where they came from. So we’re all in. We’re going to help out.”

The new site will be located on a decommissioned section of Camp Blanding, which includes a former airport facility featuring an 11,000-foot runway.

We can’t have every illegal alien housed in (and filling up) our jails. So, ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ it is—and we’re looking to set up a site at Camp Blanding as well. Florida will be a force multiplier for the federal government and continue to lead the nation in immigration… pic.twitter.com/jTClwDFEos

— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) June 25, 2025

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Uthmeier noted the runway will be used for aircraft transporting illegal immigrants out of the country as part of deportation operations.

“This is a sustainable, temporary little detention facility, 39 square miles, essentially, of concrete,” he said.

“It’s an old abandoned airport, 11,000-foot runway, which is great for big planes to land and deport people out.”

Uthmeier also responded to ongoing legal challenges brought by environmental groups against the Everglades-based facility, calling the cases meritless.

“No one is touching the Everglades,” Uthmeier said.

“These are sham lawsuits.”

He also praised President Trump’s leadership on immigration. “[T]hank God President Trump is enforcing the law,” he added.

President Trump and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem visited Alligator Alcatraz on Tuesday, where Trump commended Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for supporting federal efforts to detain and remove individuals residing in the U.S. illegally.

The facility, which can hold up to 5,000 detainees, was constructed in just over a week in partnership with the Florida Division of Emergency Management and the Department of Homeland Security.

The expansion of detention capacity in Florida has drawn criticism from House Democrats.

This week, a group of Democratic lawmakers sent a letter demanding that Secretary Noem and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director Todd Lyons shut down the Alligator Alcatraz facility.

The letter described the Everglades location as unfit for housing detainees.

“This remote swamp is notorious for oppressive heat, relentless humidity, severe storms, and perilous terrain infested with venomous snakes, disease-carrying insects, and large predatory wildlife, including alligators and crocodiles,” the letter stated.

“The intentional remote placement of this detention center makes it nearly impossible for separated family members and children to visit their detained loved ones, legal counsel to meet with their clients, and elected officials to provide oversight of the encampment.”

The letter went on to claim that the facility’s placement constitutes a violation of humanitarian standards, calling it “morally reprehensible” and “inherently cruel.”

Despite the criticism, Florida officials have indicated the Camp Blanding site is moving forward as scheduled.

Like Alligator Alcatraz, the Camp Blanding facility is expected to serve as a temporary holding and deportation staging location as part of the broader enforcement mandate following the passage of President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill.

Uthmeier, who has helped lead the legal and logistical planning for Florida’s immigration enforcement initiatives, said the state remains fully aligned with federal policy and is prepared to expand its role in future detention and removal efforts.

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