Earlier this week, Donald Trump, alongside Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Gov. Ron DeSantis ,visited the newly dubbed ‘Alligator Alcatraz’, a detention center in the Everglades designed to hold the hundreds of thousands of migrants that the Trump Administration intends on deporting. Following his visit, the center, which costs $450 million dollars a year to operate, officially opened with detainees being brought in Thursday, July 3rd. Since the swift opening, community members have been fighting back against the environmental and social impact of the makeshift facility.
Protesters met Donald Trump at Alligator Alcatraz in support of preserving natural lands and wildlife. According to WFTV9, groups are worried about the “safety” of the facility and the impact “to the local ecosystem caused by the traffic of people and planes carrying migrants” to and from the area. As stated by NPR “the 1.5 million acres of wetlands are home to a variety of endangered species — including the Florida panther, West Indian manatee and American Crocodile — and a vital water source for the region.”
As hurricane season gears up, there are also questions regarding safety during floods and the implications of rerouting FEMA funds towards the maintenance of Trump’s detainment camp.Indigenous groups have also vocalized major concerns and according to NPR, “19 traditional Miccosukee and Seminole villages” are on the land.
Concurrently, community members are scrambling to figure out what their next steps are. The current administration continues to broaden the identity of who they define as “illegal” which builds anxiety for many vulnerable groups and in the case of the end of Temporary Protection Status, Haitians are heavily impacted.
Two organizations, Friends of the Everglades and Center for Biological Diversity, attempted to halt the construction of the facility by suing the local and federal government to no avail. Officials have downplayed the impact of infiltrating indigenous and temperamental lands with no regard.
As more people are impacted by the sweeping immigration changes, more community groups, protestors, and leaders will find themselves speaking out.
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