Alligator Alcatraz, a new migrant detention center in Big Cypress National Preserve, was built in eight days on an airstrip once meant for a major airport.
The 39-acre site in Ochopee was home to the Miami-Dade Collier Training and Transition Airport prior to its rapid transformation.
Few outsiders – non detainees or employees – have been allowed inside the facility off U.S. 41/Tamiami Trail in rural Collier County since its rapid completion.
On July 1, President Donald Trump visited the facility; the next day, detainees were moved in.
What we know about Alligator Alcatraz
Here are some reader questions and what we know.
What is the official name? “Alligator Alcatraz” is now the name of the facility as far as the U.S. government is concerned. “Yes, it is the official name,” Jeremy Redfern, a spokesman for Uthmeier, said in an email to the Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times. Official highway signs declaring “Alligator Alcatraz” went up not long after the president’s visit.
How many inmates? There is room for 3,000, with the ability to expand to 5,000. No one is saying how many are there currently. The first detainees arrived July 2.Attorney General spokesperson Jae Williams told USA Today Network-Florida July 7: “I can confirm that there are detainees at Alligator Alcatraz. I cannot confirm how many. Logistical and execution details need to be confirmed by DHS, EOG or FDEM.”
“Detainee capacity of up to 3,000 people” with room to expand if requested, Kevin Guthrie, Executive Director for the Florida Division of Emergency Management, said in the roundtable discussion.
What does the set up look like?
How big is the property? 28,000 acres, 39-square-miles, deeded ownership to Miami-Dade County by Collier County. The facility itself includes more than 158,000 square feet of housing.
How many buildings? In addition to tents for detainees, there is a medical facility, a mess hall, a processing tent and a command post, Williams said.
Is there air conditioning in all tents/buildings? Yes, “there is working air conditioning throughout the facility,” said Stephanie Hartman, deputy director of communications, Florida Division of Emergency Management.
Electricity source? “Power supply is fully redundant with backup generators in place,” Guthrie said.
How big are the cages/cells?Each heavy-duty aluminum framed tent has 8 cells with 32 beds in each cell, Williams told Naples Daily News on July 10. Photos and videos from inside the detention center show the cells surrounded by chain-link fencing and barbed wire. Each cell has a place for handwashing and a toilet.
How many people per tent? 256
The math implies that for 3,000 detainees, there needs to be 12 detainee tents.Men, women and children?It’s unclear whether women and children are held at Alligator Alcatraz. Hartman did not answer questions from Naples Daily News regarding women and children or current detainees.
According to the State of Florida Immigration Enforcement Operations Plan, “all male and female adults should be separated regardless of if they are married.”
Where and what will detainees eat?
Where will they eat? A mess hall tent.
What will they eat? Detainees receive three meals per day, Guthrie said.
According to the state Enforcement Operations Plan, “Food services include the detainees shall be provided nutritious, attractively presented meals, and prepared and served in a sanitary and hygienic food service operation. Ordinarily detainees shall be served 3 meals every day, with 2 being hot meals.
Here are some of the variables:
∎ The facility administrator may approve variations in the food service schedule during religious and civic holidays, provided that basic nutritional goals are met.
∎ No more than 14 hours between the evening meal and breakfast may occur.
∎ Clean, potable drinking water must be available.
∎ Meals shall always be prepared, delivered, and served under staff or contractor supervision.
∎ Religious and special diets must be taken into consideration, unless stated otherwise.”
How will Alligator Alcatraz handle waste?
Where will they go to the bathroom? There are bathroom facilities in each cell.What happens to the sewage? “All wastewater is hard-pumped into 22,000-gallon frac tanks, maintained below 50% capacity and pumped daily to minimize transfers. Tanks, hoses, and connections are fully contained to prevent spills and are regularly inspected to ensure zero environmental impact,” Hartman said.
Shower/bathing facilities? Detainees have access to potable water from on-site tanks refilled by 6,000-gallon trucks, Hartman said.
Tanks are regularly sanitized, flushed and tested to ensure water quality. Full-size showers are available daily with no restriction on bathing water.
Each individual is issued a personal cup they can refill at any time to remain hydrated, and bottled water is provided at meals.
Who works behind the scenes?
Who provides security? There are more than 200 security cameras throughout the facility, more than 28,000 feet of barbed wire, 400+ security personnel, including soldiers and airmen under the command of Maj. Gen. John Haas, the adjutant general of the National Guard in Florida.
Where will the guards live? Operational hours vary by area. All staff are allowed to leave when they are off duty, Hartman said.
What about other employees? Cooks? Cleaners? Groundskeepers? Maintenance? There is a staff village on site with a capacity of 1,000.
Who will Alligator Alcatraz hold?
Who will be housed there? Here’s what Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said about the detention center June 30: “Alligator Alcatraz, and other facilities like it, will give us the capability to lock up some of the worst scumbags who entered our country under the previous administration.”
Other states are scrambling to create detention centers as well.
How long will they be there? According to 2025 ICE National Detention Standards, there is no fixed amount of time for detainees to be held.
What will they do while they are there? Detainees receive three meals a day, have access to indoor and outdoor recreation yards and a chapel. They have access to legal and clergy services in the facility, Guthrie said. Operations plan says detainees should have access to natural light, outdoor recreation for at least one hour per day, five days a week.
How far from Miami? Approximately 55 miles
How far from Naples? Approximately 60 miles
Closest hospital? Closest trauma center? Closest emergency room(s) – Baptist Health Emergency Care | Coral Way West, 14591 SW 26th St, Miami, FL 33175 – just fewer than 40 miles from detention center; Physicians Regional Collier Blvd – Emergency Room, 8300 Collier Blvd, Naples, FL 34114 – just less than 60 miles
Medical facility on site? There is a fully staffed 24/7 medical facility on site. There is also a pharmacy, and on-site fire and EMS resources so as not to “burden the locals,” Guthrie said.
Hurricane plans? The facility is a fully aluminum frame tent structure rated for up to a category 2 hurricane. “We will not wait for a Cat 2. We will follow normal evacuation procedures as we do for any other facility statewide,” Guthrie said.
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Alligator Alcatraz in Florida: what to know
