The Everglades site would house up to 1,000 migrants and lean on the 287(g) program to let local deputies act like ICE agents.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier is floating a plan that sounds straight out of a thriller: convert a remote 100‑square‑kilometer training ground in the Everglades into an immigration lock‑up surrounded by alligators and Burmese pythons. The video he posted on X calls the concept “Alligator Alcatraz,” and the Department of Homeland Security quickly amplified the clip, signaling federal interest.
Uthmeier argues the swamp itself is a money‑saving fence. “If someone bolts, all they’ll meet are teeth and coils—there’s nowhere to hide,” he said. Up to 1,000 people could be transferred in as little as two months, a timetable that has both supporters and critics scrambling for answers.
How the 287(g) program expands local police authority alongside ICE operations
Under 287(g), county sheriffs can perform certain immigration duties once handled only by federal officers. Florida already tops the nation with 43 percent of all active agreements, far ahead of Texas at 14 percent. The attorney general says the Everglades center would lean on those partnerships to keep staffing lean and costs down. Sound extreme? Here’s what the proposal claims to deliver:
- Deputies cross‑trained by ICE for arrests, transport, and detention
- Temporary housing in existing barracks to “avoid new construction waste”
- Natural moat of swamps, alligators, and pythons to deter escapes
Civil‑liberties groups counter that relying on wildlife as a perimeter could violate basic safety standards and invite lawsuits.
Why Everglades wildlife could turn the detention perimeter into a natural barrier
The swamp is no gentle backdrop. Wildlife officials estimate 200,000 American alligators prowl South Florida’s wetlands, while invasive Burmese pythons—some topping 16 feet—have upset the local food chain. Both species avoid people most days, yet encounters do happen, especially where water is shallow and visibility poor. Who could end up here, and at what risk, if medical emergencies occur after dark?
| State | Active 287(g) agreements | Share of national total |
|---|---|---|
| Florida | 31 | 43 % |
| Texas | 10 | 14 % |
| All others | 31 | 43 % |
Civil rights advocates question safety and legality of reptile guarded facility
Former acting ICE director Tom Homan cheered the idea, calling today’s border “the most secure in history” and praising Florida’s “ingenuity.” Yet immigrant‑rights attorneys warn that turning predators into jailers skirts international detention norms. “Deterrence is one thing,” said Miami lawyer Rosa Delgado, “but exposing people to wildlife hazards is another.”
What happens next? Uthmeier will need state funding, environmental clearances, and possibly a federal waiver before any ground is broken. Lawmakers in Tallahassee are expected to debate the proposal during the summer budget session. Meanwhile, DHS faces its own audit on 287(g) oversight—scrutiny that could reshape the program before a single inmate steps into the swamp.
Florida’s proposal blends tough‑on‑migration politics with the Everglades’ raw ecosystem, betting that gators and pythons can do the work of razor wire. Whether that vision survives legal, ecological, and ethical review remains to be seen.