President Donald Trump lashed out at former President Joe Biden on Tuesday, July 1, while visiting a newly constructed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility deep in the Florida Everglades — a controversial site now known as “Alligator Alcatraz.”
Joined by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Trump toured the massive warehouse-like compound, which is outfitted with chain-link partitions and rows of bunk beds meant to hold up to 5,000 detainees. The visit comes amid his administration’s intensified efforts to ramp up deportations nationwide.
“Biden wanted me in here, okay?” Trump quipped to reporters from inside the facility. “Didn’t work out that way, but he wanted me in here — that son of a bitch.”
Trump’s remarks referenced his 2024 felony conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records. Although the charges carried potential prison time, Trump received an “unconditional discharge” and avoided incarceration, fines, or probation. Prosecutors cited respect for the presidency in their decision, despite expressing concern over Trump’s efforts to discredit the legal system and the jury’s verdict.
Despite the conviction, Trump returned to office following his re-election, which also led to the closure of several federal and state investigations related to his handling of classified documents and alleged election interference.
Still, Trump has continued to promote the baseless theory that Biden orchestrated his legal troubles — despite the fact that Biden had no involvement in the New York case and that his own son, Hunter Biden, was prosecuted and convicted under the same Justice Department.
A Detention Center in the Swamps
“Alligator Alcatraz” was rapidly built in just eight days on the grounds of the long-abandoned Everglades Jetport. The facility’s remote location within Big Cypress National Preserve is surrounded by native wildlife — including alligators, panthers, and snakes — which Trump touted as an added bonus.
“You don’t always get land this secure and beautiful,” he told the press. “You’ve got bodyguards out here — alligators — and you don’t even have to pay them.”
The administration claims the new detention center is essential to support the surge in arrests as Trump’s immigration crackdown expands. However, the site’s opening has been met with both environmental and human rights protests.
Protests and Legal Battles
Activists from across Florida gathered outside the facility during Trump’s visit, echoing growing anti-ICE sentiment that has intensified since his return to office. Environmentalists have also raised alarms about the detention center’s construction, which they argue bypassed vital environmental reviews.
“The site is more than 96% wetlands and sits within one of the most ecologically sensitive areas in the country,” said Eve Samples, executive director of Friends of the Everglades. “This scheme is not only cruel, it also threatens wildlife and ecosystems taxpayers have spent decades trying to protect.”
Several groups have filed lawsuits, citing violations of the National Environmental Policy Act and a lack of tribal consultation. The Big Cypress region is home to sacred lands, ceremonial sites, and villages belonging to the Miccosukee and Seminole tribes.
“Big Cypress is not an uninhabited swamp. It is our ancestral homeland,” said Miccosukee Chairman Talbert Cypress. “This land has protected our people for generations.”
As the Trump administration pushes forward with its immigration agenda, “Alligator Alcatraz” may become a powerful symbol — not just of enforcement, but of the growing divide over what kind of country the U.S. should be.
