MAGA Star Shows Off ‘Jurassic Park Style’ Entrance to Alligator Alcatraz

Conservative commentator and MAGA loyalist Benny Johnson has compared Florida’s new detention center to Jurassic Park.

“Alligator Alcatraz” is a migrant detention center located on a secluded airstrip deep within the Everglades. Designed to accommodate up to 5,000 detainees, the facility leverages the natural isolation of the area and its surrounding wildlife to enhance security.

“Jurassic Park style entrance. 30 foot walls, razor wire, armed guards. None of this existed a week ago. Insanity impressive from the state of Florida. Mosquitoes swarming me by the thousands. Millions of gators. Hell on earth.” Johnson wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

Why It Matters

The new detention center has been thrust into the forefront of the national conversation surrounding immigration enforcement.

The remote facility is projected to cost Florida around $450 million each year to operate. This proposal comes as the Trump administration plans what it calls the largest mass deportation effort in United States history.

Critics argue that the center’s isolated location and swift implementation raise serious ethical and legal concerns regarding the treatment of migrants, transparency, and due process. Meanwhile, supporters view the project as a cost-effective solution to manage increased immigration enforcement. The administration has said that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has run out of beds to keep detainees.

What To Know

The 39-square-mile site is located at the Miami-Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport. The site was chosen in part because it has an airstrip that could be used to fly in detainees.

“Alligator Alcatraz, and other facilities like it, will give us the capability to lock up some of the worst scumbags who entered our country under the previous administration,” said Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. “We will expand facilities and bed space in just days, thanks to our partnership with Florida.”

Supporters aligned with the MAGA movement have praised the plan to establish the detention center as a fulfillment of their long-standing calls for stricter immigration enforcement.

The Florida Division of Emergency Management is planning to accommodate up to 5,000 beds for detainees in the state, according to DHS. Multiple locations are being considered, according to the agency.

Individuals arrested by Florida law enforcement under the federal 287(g) program will be detained at this facility. Additionally, ICE will have the authority to transfer detainees to Florida’s custody under the same program.

The initial temporary facility is expected to be operational within days, offering between 500 and 1,000 beds. Capacity will then be expanded incrementally by 500 beds, with a goal of reaching 5,000 beds by early July. The initial structures will consist of soft-sided temporary units, with the possibility of more permanent buildings constructed later.

To house detainees, Florida plans to utilize renovated FEMA trailers that were previously used during disaster responses.

The facility will be managed by the Florida Division of Emergency Management. Florida’s declaration of a state of emergency related to immigration enables rapid mobilization. National Guard personnel trained under the 287(g) program will assist with detention operations.

Operating costs are estimated at approximately $245 per bed per day for 5,000 beds, involving multiple vendors.

The total annual expense is projected to be around $450 million, with Florida seeking reimbursement through federal agencies such as FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security. FEMA currently has about $625 million available in its Shelter and Services Program that could be allocated for this purpose.

Immigrant rights advocates and environmental groups are furious with the move, arguing that the facility’s remote location in the Everglades poses serious risks both to the migrants and the fragile ecosystem.

What People Are Saying

Yareliz Mendez-Zamora, policy coordinator with the American Friends Service Committee FL, in a statement shared with Newsweek: “Instead of rushing to build affordable housing, figuring out creative ways to help Floridians earn a living wage, and making sure that our communities are prepared for hurricane seasons, the DeSantis Administration is building an immigrant prison that no one has asked for. Alligator Alcatraz will become yet another place where grandparents, parents, uncles, and aunts will disappear.”

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, on X: Alligator Alcatraz is a milestone in our effort to help the Trump Administration fulfill its mandate to the American people and restore our nation’s sovereignty.

The Department of Homeland Security, in a statement: “Alligator Alcatraz will give us the space and beds needed to detain the WORST OF THE WORST safely. This facility will be a blueprint for detention facilities across the country.”

What Happens Next

The facility will be used to house migrants as the administration looks to remove millions of migrants without legal status.