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Florida Everglades: As we move through the shallow mangroves, the gentle hum of the boat’s two-metre-wide propeller filling the air, an alligator pokes its head through the murky, brown water.
The airboat driver slows the boat down, but not to a complete halt – too slow, and the heat breaches the wind, bringing with it a swarm of dollar-sized mosquitoes.
An alligator comes up for air in the Everglades.Credit: Nicholas Garcia
This swamp in the Florida Everglades, at America’s southernmost point, is where US President Donald Trump has assembled his flagship immigration detention centre – known as Alligator Alcatraz – as part of his crackdown on illegal immigrants.
The controversial centre was ordered to shut down earlier this year, but is now back in action after a ruling last month by an appeals court, comprising a majority of Trump-appointed judges.
More than 3 million alligators inhabit Florida.Credit: Calum Jaspan
One hundred kilometres west of Miami, and three hours’ south of Tampa, visitors to the Everglades are met by the giant, aggressive mosquitoes, unbearable heat and near 100 per cent humidity.
Tourists travel to these wetlands for airboat tours, hoping to see some of the 3 million alligators that call Florida home. They are the dominant beasts in this diverse habitat, which has been degraded over time by the changing climate and the invasive Burmese Python.
Alligator Alcatraz sits in Big Cypress National Park in Trump’s home state. Florida has invested hundreds of millions of taxpayer funds into helping him achieve his dream of deporting of millions of “illegals”.
US President Donald Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem at Alligator Alcatraz in July.Credit: AP
It opened on July 3, with the ability to house 3000 detainees. It was erected at breakneck speed after it was announced by Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier. The location was chosen specifically because the swamp and its animal inhabitants made any escape attempts difficult and highly dangerous.
The centre immediately gained popularity within the MAGA movement and raised Uthmeier’s profile, and the official Department of Homeland Security’s social media accounts posted memes of alligators outside the prison wearing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) hats.
A meme posted by the Department of Homeland Security.Credit: US Government
But in late August, district court judge Kathleen Williams ruled the facility should be shut down within 60 days, citing the irreparable damage that was being inflicted on the Everglades by its construction. It looked like the jail would have lasted less than two months, with detainees being transferred out and the facility to be dismantled.
But in September, an appeal by the state in an Atlanta court overturned Williams’ decision by a 2-1 margin. The judges in favour were Trump appointees. And thus, normal service resumed at Alligator Alcatraz, in the middle of the UNESCO World Heritage site.
This is Trump heartland, but on a visit to the national park in late July, amid the peak of summer heat, I am surprised to find there are plenty of locals who do not support his makeshift prison.
Ivan and his friends travelled from West Palm Beach, a 10-minute drive from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago, to explore the Everglades and discover untapped fishing spots.
Ivan travelled to west Florida to explore untapped fishing spots in the Everglades.Credit: Calum Jaspan
Dressed for the conditions, Ivan describes the placement of Alligator Alcatraz as “some messed-up shit”.
“Honestly, why make something somewhere where there are hurricanes, you know what I’m saying?”
Last year, the area was ground zero for three hurricanes that hit over just six weeks. Mosquitoes will bite all through the day here, he tells me, rather than just at dusk and dawn. I already know that: my legs were attacked within seconds of stepping out of the car, and still have the scars to prove it.
The facility is operated by the state of Florida, not the federal government, and state Governor Ron DeSantis has spent hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars on it, and on deportations. He said the Trump government would reimburse the outlay, which it only did last week.
This point had proven crucial in the appeals court decision: because the state hadn’t received federal funding by September, the court ruled, it was not subject to the National Environmental Policy Act. But last week, the state was given a US$608 million ($927 million) reimbursement for building the deportation depot.
Inmates must use open-air toilets in their cages.Credit: AFP
Reports from inside the camp tell a story of 32 inmates per cage, no running water, broken sewerage, and shared and open toilets that overflow when it rains. Which it does, a lot.
The lights are kept on 24 hours a day, and if the tents that form part of the compound have air-conditioning, it often doesn’t work. The ceiling and walls aren’t sealed either, allowing gaps for those mosquitoes.
Protesters rally outside Alligator Alcatraz in July.Credit: Bloomberg
Before arriving at the Everglades, I expected I would struggle to find many who would speak openly against the detention centre, considering the surrounding Collier County had voted in a booming majority for Trump eight months earlier. But it isn’t quite what I expected.
“If it’s not going to be there, it’s going to be somewhere else,” a self-described MAGA worker at one of the airboat tour centres says. She did not want to be interviewed on the record. “If they don’t pay taxes, in which I pay taxes every year, they don’t need to be here. Yeah – become legal.
“It doesn’t really bother me. I never really think about it after I go home. We are Trump supporters around here – 99.9 per cent of anyone that lives around here is a Trump supporter.”
Another tour guide describes the detention centre as “shameful”, but also does not want to be identified because their colleagues are all Trump-mad.
Kelly and Steve from Fort Myers, Florida make their views on Alligator Alcatraz known.Credit: Calum Jaspan
Others want people to know they’re openly against it. Driving by a street sign emblazoned with Alligator Alcatraz, Steve and Kelly have stopped to picture themselves giving the middle finger salute to the newly installed signage.
“People need to know not everyone is MAGA around here,” says Steve, who is from Fort Myers, two hours’ north.
“Not all of us feel that way in Florida,” Kelly adds. “It’s kind of ridiculous. It’s ignorant on many accounts. Obviously, how hot is it here? The mosquitoes are horrendous.
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“You’ve got people living in a situation that’s not good. It’s not deserved. There’s no due process for these people, and besides that, it lights up the whole area. This is a reserve and it’s lit up like New York City.
“So all of it is just horrible, and it’s not well thought out.”
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