Environmental advocates fear 'Alligator Alcatraz' may do irreparable harm to Everglades
By Joshua Ceballos
July 1, 2025 at 7:28 PM EDT
On the same day President Donald Trump visited the immigrant detention facility dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz,” environmental advocates said they fear wildlife may forever steer away from the fragile wetlands if the temporary project becomes a permanent one.
"Certainly if this becomes more permanent, that is a bigger concern [because] that permanently evicts these species from the site so they can never come back," Elise Bennett, a senior attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity, told reporters hours after Trump's visit.
She was joined by attorneys and other environmental advocates in a virtual press conference about their opposition to the detention center.
READ MORE: 'Cruelty for cruelty's sake': Protests ring out as Trump tours 'Alligator Alcatraz'
The Center for Biological Diversity and Friends of the Everglades have sued state and federal authorities and asked a judge to halt the construction of Alligator Alcatraz. They say the rapid construction of the detention center flies in the face of decades-old environmental law.
Named in the lawsuit: the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Florida Division of Emergency Management and Miami-Dade County.
In the video press conference with reporters, Bennett and others say the immigration detention center will irreparably harm endangered species like the Florida Panther.
The detention facility is being built on an isolated airstrip about 50 miles west of Miami, and it could house up to 5,000 detainees. The surrounding swampland is filled with mosquitos, pythons and alligators.
It opened on Tuesday with Trump's visit and is expected to begin housing suspected undocumented immigrants on Wednesday.
"Certainly if this becomes more permanent, that is a bigger concern [because] that permanently evicts these species from the site so they can never come back," Elise Bennett, a senior attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity, told reporters hours after Trump's visit.
She was joined by attorneys and other environmental advocates in a virtual press conference about their opposition to the detention center.
READ MORE: 'Cruelty for cruelty's sake': Protests ring out as Trump tours 'Alligator Alcatraz'
The Center for Biological Diversity and Friends of the Everglades have sued state and federal authorities and asked a judge to halt the construction of Alligator Alcatraz. They say the rapid construction of the detention center flies in the face of decades-old environmental law.
Named in the lawsuit: the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Florida Division of Emergency Management and Miami-Dade County.
In the video press conference with reporters, Bennett and others say the immigration detention center will irreparably harm endangered species like the Florida Panther.
The detention facility is being built on an isolated airstrip about 50 miles west of Miami, and it could house up to 5,000 detainees. The surrounding swampland is filled with mosquitos, pythons and alligators.
It opened on Tuesday with Trump's visit and is expected to begin housing suspected undocumented immigrants on Wednesday.