President Donald Trump warned American criminals they may be the next inhabitants of the ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ facility and deported out of the country.
He issued the threat during a tour of a migrant detention center in the Everglades surrounded by alligators, musing that home-born ‘bad people’ may be his next targets to get them ‘the hell out’ of the U.S.
‘We also have a lot of bad people that have been here for a long time,’ he said. ‘Some of them were born in our country. I think we ought to get them the hell out of here too, if you want to know the truth. So maybe that’ll be the next job.’
It’s not the first time Trump has speculated about deporting Americans convicted of crimes. In April, he suggested sending them to the notorious El Salvadorian prison currently holding migrants deported from the U.S.
Courts have consistently ruled that citizenship provides protection against removal from the country, explaining why Trump’s off-the-cuff remark appears to be more rhetorical bluster than actual policy.
President Donald Trump warned American criminals could be his next target
The idea resurfaced on Tuesday when Trump toured the remote, high-security design of the new center and promised it would soon house what he called ‘the most menacing migrants, the most vicious people on the planet.’
‘It is not a place I want to go hiking any time soon,’ Trump said. ‘Very soon this facility will house some of the most menacing migrants, the most vicious people on the planet. We’re surrounded by miles of swamp land and the only way out is deportation.’
Trump said he’d like to see similar facilities in ‘many states,’ adding Florida would getting a second one ‘and probably a couple more.’
‘The incredible thing is picking the site because the site was one of the most natural sites. It might be as good as the real Alcatraz. Well, that’s a spooky one too. That’s a tough site. So I really think it could last as long as they want to have,’ he said.
Democrats have slammed the facility as a ‘makeshift prison camp,’ while environmentalists have questioned its impact on the local climates and Native Americans protested it being built on sacred ground.
The controversial detention facility was spearheaded by Florida Republican leaders and garnered its nickname due to its location: it sits about 37 miles from Miami in the middle of a swamp surrounded by snakes and alligators — and in an area of the state that is prone to hurricanes.
The president noted that ‘I couldn’t care less’ that the facilities were controversial.
Trump looked visibly pleased with the setup during his tour, observing stacks of bunk beds behind chain-linked fencing inside an air conditioned tent in a Florida swamp.
President President Donald Trump, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (left), and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem (right) tour a migrant detention center, dubbed ‘Alligator Alcatraz,’ located at the site of the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport
A general view at a temporary migrant detention center known as ‘Alligator Alcatraz’
The $450 million-per-year detention facility, which will be able to hold up to 3,000 undocumented immigrants, was built in just seven days.
There are only tents and trailers – no brick-or-mortar buildings. It was constructed on land belonging to Miami-Dade County and seized by state officials over local leaders’ objections.
It sits next to an 11,000 foot airstrip. DeSantis said the runway there can be used to quickly fly undocumented immigrants to third countries if deportation is deemed appropriate.
