Florida AG proposes 'Alligator Alcatraz' detention center

(NewsNation) — Florida's attorney general is proposing an immigrant detention center that he has dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz."

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, a Republican, told Fox Business that Florida is proposing a new detention center on a parcel of land owned by Miami-Dade County.

The land is situated in the middle of the Everglades, surrounded by alligators and pythons, leaving detainees with "nowhere to run, nowhere to hide."

The former airport facility also has an airstrip that could facilitate deportation flights as well as housing people suspected of being in the U.S. illegally and processing immigration cases.

Uthmeier said the facility could be constructed in 30 to 60 days and could be used to house about 1,000 people. It would be the state's largest detention facility.

The facility would ease pressure on local jails and federal facilities that have been used to hold immigrants detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement as part of President Donald Trump's mass deportation efforts.

While ICE has arrested around 650 people daily during the first months of Trump's term, the president has increased pressure on the agency, setting a target of 3,000 arrests daily.

ICE raids have sparked protests across the country as the administration has specifically targeted Democratic-run cities with sanctuary policies.