What to know about “Alligator Alcatraz,” Florida’s immigration detention site in the Everglades

By Kate Payne TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — An immigration detention facility located at an isolated Everglades airfield surrounded by mosquito-, python- and alligator-filled swamplands is just days away from being operational, federal officials said Tuesday. Florida officials are racing ahead with the construction of what they’ve dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz” to help carry out President Donald Trump’s mass deportation agenda, working to build a compound of heavy-duty tents, trailers and temporary buildings similar to sites used during natural disasters. The construction of the facility in the remote and ecologically sensitive wetland about 45 miles (72 kilometers) west of downtown Miami is alarming human rights advocates and environmentalists. State officials say the installation is critical to support the federal government’s immigration enforcement agenda. Florida is moving forward with the construction on land…

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