Protesters Rally In The Everglades Against Controversial Detention Center Project

 

A diverse coalition of demonstrators — including environmentalists, Native American leaders, and concerned residents — gathered Saturday in the heart of the Florida Everglades to protest the rapid construction of a new immigration detention center on ancestral and ecologically sensitive land.

Lining a stretch of U.S. Highway 41, known as the Tamiami Trail, protesters held signs and chanted as dump trucks carrying construction materials rumbled past them into a remote airstrip. Supportive drivers honked as the crowd called for the protection of the Everglades, a unique and fragile ecosystem that is home to endangered species and Indigenous communities.

Ecologist and city commissioner Christopher McVoy joined the protest out of concern for the environmental damage and the broader implications for immigrant communities. “People I know are in tears,” he said. “And I wasn’t far from it.”

The project, already nicknamed “Alligator Alcatraz,” has moved forward swiftly under emergency powers granted by an executive order from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. The order, issued to address what the governor calls a crisis of illegal immigration, allows the state to bypass normal purchasing and permitting procedures.

Set on a former airfield in Big Cypress National Preserve, the facility is expected to include heavy-duty tents and trailers capable of holding up to 5,000 detainees by July. Supporters have touted the site’s isolation and proximity to dangerous wildlife, including alligators and pythons, as a deterrent to escape.

“Clearly, from a security perspective, if someone escapes, you know, there’s a lot of alligators,” DeSantis remarked at a recent press conference.

The federal government, including the Department of Homeland Security and FEMA, is also backing the project, pledging partial funding.

But for Native American leaders and environmental groups, the construction represents an intrusion on sacred lands and a dangerous precedent for unchecked development. The airfield site is surrounded by traditional Miccosukee and Seminole villages, ceremonial grounds, and burial sites — all within a protected preserve.

“This is our home, our history, our identity,” said one protester representing Indigenous communities. “To desecrate it with a prison is unacceptable.”

Environmental organizations, including the Center for Biological Diversity and Friends of the Everglades, filed a lawsuit on Friday seeking to halt the construction. They argue the project threatens the integrity of the interconnected wetland system and violates conservation laws.

“The Everglades is a vast, interconnected system of waterways and wetlands,” said Eve Samples, executive director of Friends of the Everglades. “What happens in one area can have damaging impacts downstream.”

Despite these concerns, the state insists the facility poses no environmental risk. Bryan Griffin, a spokesperson for Governor DeSantis, described the center as a “necessary staging operation for mass deportations” and said it would not harm the surrounding habitat, as it’s being built on a “preexisting airport.”

Critics disagree. Environmental advocates argue that construction should be paused until a full environmental review is completed and public input is considered. “It’s clear they’re trying to move quickly before anyone can stop them,” said Elise Bennett, an attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity.

Jessica Namath, founder of Floridians for Public Lands, warned that the facility could damage the region’s reputation and economy. The Everglades are a prized tourist destination known for their natural beauty and dark night skies. “You see the exhaust, the oil slicks, the noise,” she said. “It’s turning a protected area into an industrial zone.”

For now, construction continues — but so does resistance from a growing movement determined to protect the Everglades, defend human rights, and honor the deep cultural significance of the land.