The state of Florida has opened a migrant detention heart within the Everglades. Its respectable identify is Alligator Alcatraz, a connection with the previous most safety federal detention center in San Francisco Bay.
Whilst traveling Alligator Alcatraz on July 1, 2025, President Donald Trump stated, “This facility will house some of the menacing migrants, some of the most vicious people on the planet.” However new reporting from the Miami Bring in/Tampa Bay Occasions unearths that of greater than 700 detainees, just a 3rd have prison convictions.
To determine extra concerning the state of Florida’s involvement in immigration enforcement and who may also be detained at Alligator Alcatraz, The Dialog spoke with Mark Schlakman. Schlakman is a legal professional and senior program director for The Florida State College Heart for the Development of Human Rights. He additionally served as particular suggest to Florida Gov. Lawton Chiles, running as a liaison of types with the government all the way through the mid-Nineties when tens of 1000’s of Haitians and Cubans fled their island countries on makeshift boats, hoping to achieve secure haven in Florida.
U.S. Division of Native land Safety Secretary Kristi Noem has characterised the migrants being detained in amenities like Alligator Alcatraz as “murderers and rapists and traffickers and drug dealers.” Do we all know if the detainees at Alligator Alcatraz were convicted of those types of crimes?
The Occasions/Bring in printed an inventory of 747 present detainees as of Sunday, July 13, 2025. Their newshounds discovered that a couple of 3rd of the detainees have prison convictions, together with tried homicide, unlawful reentry to the U.S., which is a federal crime, and visitors violations. It appears masses extra have fees pending, although neither the federal nor state executive have made public what the ones fees are.
There also are greater than 250 detainees without a prison historical past, simply immigration violations.
Is it a criminal offense for any person to be within the U.S. with out prison standing? In different phrases, is an immigration violation a criminal offense?
No, now not essentially. It’s neatly established as an issue of regulation that bodily presence within the U.S. with out right kind authorization is a civil violation, now not against the law.
Then again, if the government in the past deported any person, they are able to be matter to federal prison prosecution in the event that they try to go back with out permission. That seems to be the case with one of the crucial detainees at Alligator Alcatraz.
What in most cases occurs if a noncitizen commits a criminal offense within the U.S.?
In most cases, if a international nationwide is accused of committing a criminal offense, they’re prosecuted in a state court docket similar to any person else. If discovered accountable and sentenced to incarceration, they whole their sentence in a state jail. When they’ve served their time, state officers can hand them over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE. They’re matter to deportation, however a federal immigration pass judgement on can listen any grounds for reduction.
DHS has clarified that it “has not implemented, authorized, directed or funded” Alligator Alcatraz, however reasonably the state of Florida is offering startup finances and operating this facility. What’s Florida’s passion on this? Are those most commonly migrants who’ve been scooped up by means of ICE in Florida?
It’s nonetheless unclear the place all these detainees have been apprehended. However in accordance with an inventory of six detainees launched by means of Florida Legal professional Normal James Uthmeier’s administrative center, it’s transparent that no less than some have been apprehended out of doors of Florida, and others merely could have been transferred to Alligator Alcatraz from federal custody in other places.
This calls to thoughts the time in 2022 when Gov. Ron DeSantis flew roughly 50 migrants from Texas to Martha’s Winery in Massachusetts at Florida taxpayer expense. The ones migrants additionally had no discernible presence in Florida.
To determine Alligator Alcatraz, DeSantis leveraged an immigration emergency declaration, which has been ongoing since Jan. 6, 2023. A state of emergency lets in a governor to workout abnormal government authority. That is how he have shyed away from necessities reminiscent of environmental have an effect on research within the Everglades and issues expressed by means of tribal governance surrounding that space.
For now, the governor’s declaration stays unchallenged by means of the Florida Legislature. Environmental advocates have filed a lawsuit over Alligator Alcatraz, and the U.S. Excellent Courtroom upheld a call by means of a federal pass judgement on quickly barring Florida from imposing its new immigration regulations, which DeSantis had championed. However no court docket has but intervened to contest this extended state of emergency.
This items a stark distinction to Gov. Lawton Chiles’ declaration of an immigration emergency all the way through the mid-Nineties. At the moment, tens of 1000’s of Cubans and Haitians tried to achieve Florida shores in just about anything else that will go with the flow. Chiles’ movements as governor have been knowledgeable by means of his enjoy as a U.S. senator all the way through the Mariel boatlift in 1980, when 125,000 Cubans made landfall in Florida over the process simply six months.
Chiles sued the Clinton management for failing to adequately put into effect U.S. immigration regulation. However Chiles additionally entered into exceptional agreements with the government, such because the 1996 Florida Immigration Initiative with U.S. Legal professional Normal Janet Reno. His intent used to be to offer protection to Florida taxpayers whilst improving federal enforcement capability, with out dehumanizing folks fleeing determined instances.
Right through my tenure on Chiles’ body of workers, the governor usually adversarial state law involving immigration. Within the U.S.’s federalist device of presidency, immigration falls beneath the purview of the government, now not the states. Chiles’ number one worry used to be that Floridians wouldn’t be saddled with what must be federal prices and obligations.
Chiles used to be open to state and native officers supporting federal immigration enforcement. However he used to be aware this required finesse to steer clear of undermining group policing, public well being priorities and the industrial well being of key Florida companies and industries. To at the present time, the World Affiliation of Chiefs of Police’s place displays Chiles’ issues about such cooperation with the government.
Gov. Ron DeSantis outlines his plans for Alligator Alcatraz to the media on July 1, 2025.
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP by means of Getty Photographs
Now, in 2025, DeSantis has taken a decidedly other tack by means of the usage of Florida taxpayer greenbacks to determine Alligator Alcatraz. The state of Florida has fronted the United States$450 million to pay for this facility. DeSantis reportedly intends to hunt repayment from FEMA’s Refuge and Services and products Program. In the long run, congressional motion could also be vital to procure repayment. Florida is basically lending the government part one thousand million greenbacks and offering different help to assist improve the Trump management’s immigration enforcement schedule.
Florida could also be setting up every other migrant detention facility at Camp Blanding Joint Coaching Heart close to Jacksonville. A 3rd it seems that is being pondered for the Panhandle.
ICE claims that without equal determination of whom to detain at those amenities belongs to the state of Florida, throughout the Florida Department of Emergency Control. Individuals of Congress who visited Alligator Alcatraz previous this week have disputed ICE’s declare that Florida is in rate.
You prompt Florida Department of Emergency Control management without delay for a number of years all the way through the administrations of Gov. Charlie Crist and Gov. Rick Scott. Does operating a detention facility like Alligator Alcatraz fall inside its standard venture?
The department is tasked with making ready for and responding to each herbal and human-caused failures. In Florida, that usually approach hurricanes. Whilst the department might interact to facilitate refuge, I don’t recall any insurance policies or procedures considering anything else even remotely very similar to Alligator Alcatraz.
DeSantis may just conceivably argue that that is in step with a 287(g) settlement authorizing state and native improve for federal immigration enforcement. However such agreements in most cases require federal supervision of state and native actions, now not the wrong way round.
