President Donald Trump arrives on Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)
Special VIP Movement Notifications issued for both Palm Beach and Ochopee for Tuesday could be an indication that President Donald Trump may be making a visit to the "Alligator Alcatraz" site being prepared in the Everglades in eastern Collier County.
Two FAA Safety Team notifications were listed Sunday one for Palm Beach, near where the Trump's Mar-A-Lago residence is, and the other for Ochopee, the location designation for the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport.
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.
A NOTAM or written notification issued to pilots before a flight, advising them of circumstances relating to the state of flying, has not yet been issued for either location.
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's spokesman said they will oppose the lawsuit in court.
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. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi 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.
