Guest
Gov. Ron DeSantis says deportation flights out of the immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades dubbed ‘Alligator Alcatraz' have begun, and hundreds of illegal immigrants have already been flown out. The governor's announcement came at a news conference with other state officials on Friday. In June, the state used emergency powers under the direction of DeSantis to take over the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport, a remote airfield in the heart of the Everglades. The 4,000-bed immigration detention center is built out of temporary tents, trailers and chain-link fences with barbed wire. It is surrounded by alligators, pythons, mosquitoes and swampland. The site officially opened July 1, with President Donald Trump and other federal officials joining the governor. Immigration enforcement has been a focal point for DeSantis since Trump took office again in January. In February, the governor signed what he called the toughest anti-illegal immigration bill in the country after a special session of the Florida Legislature that triggered weeks of negotiations. DeSantis has also deputized law enforcement around the state to help with federal immigration enforcement. Along with the facility in the Everglades, the governor has also publicly revealed plans for a second ICE detention center at Camp Blanding – Florida’s National Guard training headquarters located southwest of Jacksonville. Alligator Alcatraz has faced criticism from many Democrats and environmental activists. Two groups, Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity, filed a federal lawsuit in late June alleging that federal and state agencies failed to follow environmental and land-use laws. Subscribe to LiveNOW from FOX! Where to watch LiveNOW from FOX: Follow us @LiveNOWFOX on Twitter: Raw and unfiltered. Watch a non-stop stream of breaking news, live events and stories across the nation. Limited commentary. No opinion. Experience LiveNOW from FOX.
