US President Donald Trump is expected to attend the opening of a controversial temporary migrant detention facility in southern Florida on Tuesday, according to a report by Reuters. Dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz,” the centre has drawn widespread attention for its remote location in the Everglades—a sprawling subtropical wetland inhabited by alligators, crocodiles, and pythons. Florida officials have cited the treacherous landscape as a “natural barrier” requiring minimal manned security.
The reported visit comes as part of Trump’s intensified crackdown on illegal immigration, with the Republican president vowing to increase detentions and deportations following what he claims has been a surge in unlawful border crossings under his predecessor, Democrat Joe Biden.
Immigration detention numbers have surged under Donald Trump’s administration, rising from 39,000 in January to over 56,000 by 15 June, according to federal data.
President Trump will reportedly be joined by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who personally requested that he visit the site, the Reuters report added.
Why Alcatraz Prison Remains One of the Most Controversial Prisons?
Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary, perched on a rocky island in the San Francisco Bay, has long captivated the public imagination—not just for its dramatic setting, but for the deep controversies that surround its history. Operated from 1934 to 1963, the prison was designed to hold the most dangerous criminals in the United States.
However, its legacy has sparked intense debate over prison conditions, human rights, and the ethics of solitary confinement.
One of the primary reasons Alcatraz is considered controversial is the harsh treatment of inmates. Prisoners were subjected to extreme isolation, strict discipline, and a near-total lack of rehabilitation programmes.
Many were kept in solitary confinement cells for days or weeks at a time, often in complete darkness. Critics argue that such treatment amounted to psychological torture, far beyond the standards of modern correctional ethics.
The prison’s role in America’s broader system of racial and social inequality has also been scrutinised. Many inmates at Alcatraz came from marginalised backgrounds and were victims of a justice system that disproportionately punished the poor and minorities.
In later years, the Alligator Alcatraz became a symbol of resistance when Native American activists occupied it in 1969 to protest broken treaties and demand the return of tribal lands—further fuelling the island’s contentious legacy.
Controversy resurfaced in modern politics when, Donald Trump’s presidency, officials reportedly floated the idea of using Alcatraz to detain undocumented immigrants.
The suggestion drew sharp criticism from human rights advocates and historians alike, who argued it echoed authoritarian tactics and reinforced the island’s grim legacy of isolation and punishment.
Critics argue that the centre’s nickname, “Alligator Alcatraz,” reflects not only its physical remoteness but also its symbolic ties to punitive incarceration tactics reminiscent of the now-defunct Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary.