Donald Trump‘s latest project, his new detention facility in the Florida Everglades, is nicknamed “Alligator Alcatraz.” The location is situated in the Everglades, a wetland area in Florida known for its mangrove forests and unique animal species. It has reportedly been built to house “the most vicious people on the planet.”
Exclusive pictures from the property reveal rows of metal bunk beds encaged in barbed wire fences. Built in just eight days, the compound reportedly includes 200 surveillance cameras, over 400 staff, and capacity for 3,000 detainees.
However, even though the facility was built to keep illegal immigrants away from the city, the recent data suggest otherwise.
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As per The Independent, a preliminary review found that over 700 detainees include many with no criminal history in the U.S. Only about one-third have past convictions. At the same time, roughly 250 are being held solely for immigration violations—civil offences, not crimes.
Converted from an abandoned airport land and intended to facilitate Donald Trump’s deportation agenda, the facility has drawn criticism from lawmakers and detainees alike, who described overcrowded cages, lack of bathing water, maggot-infested meals, and round-the-clock lighting. Many people have called “Alligator Alcatraz” a prison, which is Trump’s new way to cage people.
Debbie Wasserman Schultz is all butt-hurt because illegals have to brush their teeth where they poop. This is what the head looked like in boot camp when I signed up to defend this country in 1968. The image on the right is at Alligator Alcatraz, a detention facility. pic.twitter.com/JDYMguCWy2
— Steve (@oldguy_steve) July 14, 2025
The facility, managed by the Florida Division of Emergency Management, was built so that Donald Trump’s mass deportation policy could be more organized, and there would be more space to keep the detainees. Yet, we don’t think the administration has been keeping up with the promises. Several people have shown concerns for the condition of the center. Calling it an “internment camp,” critics say detainees are packed 32 per section with the bare minimum.
“They are essentially packed into cages, wall-to-wall humans, 32 detainees per cage,” Florida Democratic Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz told reporters after visiting the facility over the weekend in July 2025. Meanwhile, public support for Alligator Alcatraz is also low. A July poll from YouGov found that 48 per cent of people were against the detention facility.
Last weekend, a viral TikTok clip also showed a MAGA family posing in front of the facility’s entrance sign, grinning for the camera. At the same time, someone offscreen condemned them, saying, “You think killing people is fun.” In addition, many American have left ruthless comments on X ( formerly Twitter) which clearly showed their disapproval of it.
What has our country become when a family deems it fitting to snap photos of each other in front of Alligator Alcatraz as if it were an entrance sign to an amusement park. Disgusting!!! Simply disgusting!!! pic.twitter.com/IxTIvWbbN6
— 💛September💜Rayne🖤 (@Lippyaddiction) July 7, 2025
“If you’re celebrating ‘Alligator Alcatraz,’ you’re a garbage human being,” a user wrote. Another wrote, “Alligator Alcatraz should be used to house pedophiles instead of undocumented workers”. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has paid no heed to the latest claim that 700 detainees include many with no criminal history, and instead reacted by saying these individuals pose a public safety threat to the nation. They hold a criminal record in the country they came from.
The data paints a far more concerning and scattered opinion on the formation of “Alligator Alcatraz,” amidst other claims that the location is prone to flooding, too isolated, and highly harmful to the environment and the beautiful natural habitat that the surroundings hold.
Would you ever visit or live in this detention center? Imagine being away from the city, secluded amidst lush greenery, but no safety from horrible weather, reptiles, and resources. Well, let’s keep it to imaging the scenario and pray not to live it.
