Florida’s Deportation Initiative
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis recently announced that the Department of Homeland Security has initiated a “deportation flight” service from the Alligator Alcatraz immigration detention center located in the Everglades.
In a post on X, DeSantis mentioned Florida’s transformation of the Miami-Dade Collier Training Facility into a detention center designed to handle illegal immigrants. He noted that deportation flights from this facility are currently “ongoing.”
“We launched Wannial Catraz in just eight days as a centralized facility for staging deportation,” DeSantis explained. “The facility has a two-mile runway that allows Federal aircraft to transport illegal foreigners abroad directly.”
He added, “These deportations overseen by DHS are continuing, and we will push to increase the frequency of flights to ensure the number of deported individuals keeps rising. This is a mission established by the American people.”
During a press conference from Alligator Alcatraz, DeSantis revealed that “hundreds of illegal immigrants” have already been deported from this facility.
He also stated that rising deportation numbers could lead to the expansion of facilities, suggesting that construction might begin at Camp Blanding for another immigration detention site.
According to reports, there could be 2,000 immigrants housed at Camp Blanding, but certain requirements—including food services and medical facilities—need to be fulfilled before it can fully operate.
DeSantis expressed optimism about the ongoing flights, suggesting that their frequency would likely increase, and anticipated that numbers would rise significantly. “Because there is demand, we can expand our operations to accommodate up to 3,000 detainees here, and we’re prepared to do that,” he remarked.
Reports indicate that some of the individuals detained at Alligator Alcatraz include members of the MS-13 gang, such as Oscar “Satan” Sanchez, who has a history of violent crimes. Other detainees include Guatemalan immigrants with records involving serious offenses.
The facility, which opened at the beginning of the month, reportedly employs over 400 security personnel and has around 1,000 staff members, surrounded by a “10-mile Everglades” area on every side.
