Trump says migrants would need to know ‘how to run away from an alligator’ to flee Florida facility

By ADRIANA GOMEZ LICON and WILL WEISSERT OCHOPEE Fla AP President Donald Trump will turn a new immigration detention center in a remote area of the Florida Everglades into a symbol of his perimeter crackdown when he visits on Tuesday The facility assembled on a remote airstrip with tents and trailers that are normally used after a natural calamity has been given the nickname Alligator Alcatraz a moniker that has alarmed immigrant activists but appeals to the Republican president s aggressive approach to deportations This is not a nice business Trump explained while leaving the White House in the morning Then he joked that we re going to teach them how to run away from an alligator if they escape prison Don t run in a straight line Run like this he mentioned as he moved his hand in a zigzag motion And you know what Your chances go up about This satellite photo captured by Planet Labs PBC on June shows white structures cropping up on an airstrip in Ochopee Fla in the Everglades where state agents are building an immigration detention facility Planet Labs PBC via AP Environmental advocates and protesters at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport on Tamiami Trail E Ochopee Fla on Saturday June object to the Alligator Alcatraz being built at the facility Mike Stocker South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP President Donald Trump speaks to the media before walking across the South Lawn of the White House to board Marine One en path to Joint Base Andrews Md and on to Florida Tuesday July in Washington AP Photo Mark Schiefelbein President Donald Trump waves as he boards Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews Md Tuesday July for a trip to visit a new migrant detention center in Ochopee Fla AP Photo Cliff Owen Show Caption of This satellite photo captured by Planet Labs PBC on June shows white structures cropping up on an airstrip in Ochopee Fla in the Everglades where state agents are building an immigration detention facility Planet Labs PBC via AP Expand Ahead of Trump s arrival local executives were positioned by the entrance of the airstrip Media vans and other vehicles were parked along the highway lined by cypress trees Protestors have often gathered near the facility which is about miles kilometers west of Miami and could house detainees They ve criticized the expected impact on a delicate ecosystem and say Trump is trying to send a cruel message to immigrants while chosen Native American leaders have also opposed construction saying the land is sacred But a key selling point for the Trump administration is the site s remoteness and the fact that it is in swampland filled with mosquitoes pythons and alligators The White House hopes that conveys a message to detainees and the rest of the world that repercussions will be severe if the immigration laws of the United States are not followed There s only one road leading in and the only way out is a one-way flight press secretary Karoline Leavitt reported Monday It is isolated and it is surrounded by dangerous wildlife and unforgiving terrain Crackdowns on the U S -Mexico limit and harsh immigration policies have long been a centerpiece of Trump s political brand During his first term in Trump denied reports that he floated the idea of building a moat filled with alligators at the southern territory line I may be tough on Edge Protection but not that tough he announced at the time In his second term Trump has suggested that his administration could move to reopen Alcatraz the notorious and hard-to-reach island prison off San Francisco The White House has similarly promoted the political shock value of sending various immigrants awaiting deportation from the U S to a detention lockup in Guant namo Bay Cuba and others to a megaprison in El Salvador Particular of the ideas have been impractical For example transforming Alcatraz from a tourist attraction into a prison would be very costly and Guant namo Bay is being used less often than administration executives originally envisioned However the new detention center in the Everglades came together very fleetly Former U S Rep David Jolly of Florida a former Republican who is now running for governor as a Democrat called the facility a callous political stunt U S Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees are generally held for reasons like entering the country illegally or overstaying a visa They are either waiting for ICE to put them on the next flight or bus ride home or they re fighting their removal in immigration court If an immigrant is accused of or has committed a violent crime he or she is tried and held in state or federal criminal jurisdiction separate from the immigration system In those cases they may be transferred to ICE for deportation after completing their criminal sentences Related Articles Senate churns through overnight session as Republicans seek promotion for Trump s big bill Trump s big bill nears passage in Senate Judges consider whether Trump can use wartime act against Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua Bay State personnel react to killing of Idaho firefighters Federal judge seeks clarity on whether birthright citizenship order means babies could be deported State functionaries are spearheading construction of the Florida facility but much of the cost is being covered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency which is best known for responding to hurricanes and other natural disasters Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier whom Homeland Assurance Secretary Kristi Noem has credited as the architect of the Everglades plan first debuted the proposal with a slickly produced video complete with custom graphics featuring red-eyed alligators and a hard rock soundtrack The Department of Homeland Precaution posted an image of alligators wearing ICE hats and sitting in front of a fenced-in compound ringed with barbed wire The Florida Republican Party has fundraised off the facility selling branded T-shirts and beverage container sleeves Florida Gov Ron DeSantis suggested Monday that the facility would be open and ready for business by the time Trump arrives The governor who challenged Trump for the Republican presidential nomination has also played up the fact that the site will be hard to escape from They ain t going anywhere once they re there unless you want them to go somewhere because good luck getting to civilization DeSantis declared So the guard is amazing Weissert broadcasted from Washington Associated Press writers Kate Payne in Tallahassee Florida Elliot Spagat in San Diego and Chris Megerian in Washington contributed to this summary