President Donald Trump arrives on Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis confirmed Monday that President Donald Trump may be making a visit to the "Alligator Alcatraz" site being prepared in the Everglades in eastern Collier County.
That confirmation came after Special VIP Movement Notifications and Notices to Airmen were issued for both Palm Beach Airport, near where the Trump's Mar-A-Lago residence is, and Ochopee, the location designation for the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport where the Alcatraz site is located.
Earlier, a temporary flight restriction for special security reasons was issued for the Everglades location from June 26 through Dec. 26 this year. The restriction prohibits UAS operations, or Unmanned Aircraft System operations (the use of drones and their associated ground control systems for various tasks, including data collection, surveillance, and even delivery) except as listed in the NOTAM.
Jennifer Crawford
/
WGCU
Activities at the site of the so-called "Alligator Alcatraz" immigration detention camp being created at an abandoned jetport in the Big Cypress National preserve in eastern Collier County included truck activity into and out of the site amid a protest of the camp by hundreds including Native Americans, conservation groups and others.
The Dade-Collier site is also where preparations have been ongoing for the past week to ready the site as an immigration detention camp. During a protest at the site Saturday a steady stream of dump trucks and other vehicles could be seen as they entered and exited the camp site.
Trump will be joined by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Rep. Byron Donalds, who is running for governor.
DeSantis said he thinks the facility will be “ready for business” by the time the president visits.
The governor, who unsuccessfully challenged Trump for the Republican presidential nomination last year, said he spoke with Trump over the weekend. He also said the site obtained approval from the Department of Homeland Security.
The Alligator Alcatraz location had been where a major jetport was planned in the 1970s before President Richard M. Nixon cancelled the project. A lengthy runway remains available for use at the site.
Environmental groups filed a federal lawsuit Friday to block the detention center.
Activities at the site of the so-called "Alligator Alcatraz" immigration detention camp being created at an abandoned jetport in the Big Cypress National preserve in eastern Collier County included truck activity into and out of the site amid a protest of the camp by hundreds including Native Americans, conservation groups and others.
Jennifer Crawford / WGCU
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Activities at the site of the so-called "Alligator Alcatraz" immigration detention camp being created at an abandoned jetport in the Big Cypress National preserve in eastern Collier County included truck activity into and out of the site amid a protest of the camp by hundreds including Native Americans, conservation groups and others.
Jennifer Crawford / WGCU
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Activities at the site of the so-called "Alligator Alcatraz" immigration detention camp being created at an abandoned jetport in the Big Cypress National preserve in eastern Collier County included truck activity into and out of the site amid a protest of the camp by hundreds including Native Americans, conservation groups and others.
Jennifer Crawford / WGCU
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Activities at the site of the so-called "Alligator Alcatraz" immigration detention camp being created at an abandoned jetport in the Big Cypress National preserve in eastern Collier County included truck activity into and out of the site amid a protest of the camp by hundreds including Native Americans, conservation groups and others.
Jennifer Crawford / WGCU
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Activities at the site of the so-called "Alligator Alcatraz" immigration detention camp being created at an abandoned jetport in the Big Cypress National preserve in eastern Collier County included truck activity into and out of the site amid a protest of the camp by hundreds including Native Americans, conservation groups and others.
Jennifer Crawford / WGCU
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Activities at the site of the so-called "Alligator Alcatraz" immigration detention camp being created at an abandoned jetport in the Big Cypress National preserve in eastern Collier County included truck activity into and out of the site amid a protest of the camp by hundreds including Native Americans, conservation groups and others.
Jennifer Crawford / WGCU
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Activities at the site of the so-called "Alligator Alcatraz" immigration detention camp being created at an abandoned jetport in the Big Cypress National preserve in eastern Collier County included truck activity into and out of the site amid a protest of the camp by hundreds including Native Americans, conservation groups and others.
Jennifer Crawford / WGCU
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Activities at the site of the so-called "Alligator Alcatraz" immigration detention camp being created at an abandoned jetport in the Big Cypress National preserve in eastern Collier County included truck activity into and out of the site amid a protest of the camp by hundreds including Native Americans, conservation groups and others.
Jennifer Crawford / WGCU
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Activities at the site of the so-called "Alligator Alcatraz" immigration detention camp being created at an abandoned jetport in the Big Cypress National preserve in eastern Collier County included truck activity into and out of the site amid a protest of the camp by hundreds including Native Americans, conservation groups and others.
Jennifer Crawford / WGCU
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Activities at the site of the so-called "Alligator Alcatraz" immigration detention camp being created at an abandoned jetport in the Big Cypress National preserve in eastern Collier County included truck activity into and out of the site amid a protest of the camp by hundreds including Native Americans, conservation groups and others.
Jennifer Crawford / WGCU
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Activities at the site of the so-called "Alligator Alcatraz" immigration detention camp being created at an abandoned jetport in the Big Cypress National preserve in eastern Collier County included truck activity into and out of the site amid a protest of the camp by hundreds including Native Americans, conservation groups and others.
Jennifer Crawford / WGCU
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Activities at the site of the so-called "Alligator Alcatraz" immigration detention camp being created at an abandoned jetport in the Big Cypress National preserve in eastern Collier County included truck activity into and out of the site amid a protest of the camp by hundreds including Native Americans, conservation groups and others.
Jennifer Crawford / WGCU
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Activities at the site of the so-called "Alligator Alcatraz" immigration detention camp being created at an abandoned jetport in the Big Cypress National preserve in eastern Collier County included truck activity into and out of the site amid a protest of the camp by hundreds including Native Americans, conservation groups and others.
Jennifer Crawford / WGCU
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Activities at the site of the so-called "Alligator Alcatraz" immigration detention camp being created at an abandoned jetport in the Big Cypress National preserve in eastern Collier County included truck activity into and out of the site amid a protest of the camp by hundreds including Native Americans, conservation groups and others.
Jennifer Crawford / WGCU
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Activities at the site of the so-called "Alligator Alcatraz" immigration detention camp being created at an abandoned jetport in the Big Cypress National preserve in eastern Collier County included truck activity into and out of the site amid a protest of the camp by hundreds including Native Americans, conservation groups and others.
Jennifer Crawford / WGCU
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Activities at the site of the so-called "Alligator Alcatraz" immigration detention camp being created at an abandoned jetport in the Big Cypress National preserve in eastern Collier County included truck activity into and out of the site amid a protest of the camp by hundreds including Native Americans, conservation groups and others.
Jennifer Crawford / WGCU
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Activities at the site of the so-called "Alligator Alcatraz" immigration detention camp being created at an abandoned jetport in the Big Cypress National preserve in eastern Collier County included truck activity into and out of the site amid a protest of the camp by hundreds including Native Americans, conservation groups and others.
Jennifer Crawford / WGCU
Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity are the groups suing the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Florida Division of Emergency Management, and Miami-Dade County.
The lawsuit seeks to halt the project until it undergoes a stringent environmental review as required by federal law. There is also supposed to be a chance for public comment, according to the lawsuit filed in Miami federal court.
DeSantis' spokesman said they will oppose the lawsuit in court.
There is also a petition on the Change.org site that has, as of 1:30 p.m. Monday, been signed by 560 people. The petition is titled "Stop the Destruction of the Everglades “Alligator Alcatraz.”
The petition was filed by a Key West resident, Donald Dorman, who said, "The proposed facility will lead to overcrowding, with numerous planes flying in and out of the area. This increase in air traffic poses a significant risk to the fragile ecosystem. Birds and other wildlife could be disrupted, and the pollution from planes would have devastating effects on the clean air and water vital to the Everglades."
State officials have said that the center is set to begin processing people who entered the U.S. illegally as soon as July 1.
The state Republican Party has even begun selling T-shirts and other merchandise emblazoned with the “Alligator Alcatraz” slogan.
Protest at Alligator Alcatraz site
Under DeSantis, Florida has made an aggressive push for immigration enforcement and has been supportive of the federal government's broader crackdown on illegal immigration. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has backed “Alligator Alcatraz,” which DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said will be partially funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The Homeland Security secretary is praising Florida for coming forward with an idea that’s been dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz” because it would house immigration detainees in a facility being built in a Florida swamp. Noem said the department has been looking to expand immigration detention capacity. She has been reviewing contracts Immigration and Customs Enforcement has with various vendors for detention beds.
WGCU is your trusted source for news and information in Southwest Florida. We are a nonprofit public service, and your support is more critical than ever. Keep public media strong and donate now. Thank you. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
