OCHOPEE, Fla. – President Donald Trump will tour the newly opened Florida immigration detention center nicknamed “Alligator Alcatraz” on Tuesday morning.
The controversial facility, located at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport, is designed to house, process and deport undocumented immigrants.
Trump to tour ‘Alligator Alcatraz’
Timeline:
President Trump is expected to participate in a guided walking tour of the new “Alligator Alactraz” facility around 10 a.m. on Tuesday. The guided tour is also expected to be attended by Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
President Trump travels to ‘Alligator Alcatraz’
President Donald Trump will tour the newly opened Florida immigration detention center nicknamed “Alligator Alcatraz” on Tuesday morning. President Trump is expected to arrive in Ochopee, Florida, around 9:50 a.m.
Here’s a look at the president’s schedule for the day.
7:15 a.m. President Trump departs the White House en route to Joint Base Andrews. Trump spoke with reporters for a few minutes before boarding his plane. “It should be very exciting; very good work,” he said. “I think it’s going to be great.”
7:25 a.m. President Trump departs Joint Base Andrews en route to Florida.
Trump remarks before heading to ‘Alligator Alcatraz’
President Donald Trump will tour the newly opened Florida immigration detention center nicknamed “Alligator Alcatraz” on Tuesday morning. Before departing from the White House to head to Florida, Trump stopped to answer several questions from reporters.
9:50 a.m. President Trump is wheels down in Ochopee, Florida.
10 a.m. President Trump participates in a guided walking tour of “Alligator Alcatraz.”
11:05 a.m. President Trump participates in a roundtable discussion.
12:10 p.m. President Trump departs “Alligator Alcatraz” en route to the White House.
2:35 p.m. President Trump arrives at Joint Base Andrews.
2:45 p.m. President Trump arrives at the White House.
How to watch and stream the tour
What you can do:
FOX 35 will stream President Trump’s tour and roundtable discussion live.
The livestream will be available to watch in the player at the top of this story and on FOX 35’s YouTube. Following the event, the video will be available to watch back in the story.
What is ‘Alligator Alcatraz’?
Dig deeper:
The controversial detention facility nicknamed “Alligator Alcatraz” is located at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport. The facility is designed to house, process and deport undocumented immigrants.
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX LOCAL APP
Officials say the facility will eventually hold up to 5,000 people.
According to the Florida government, the site will cost around $450 million a year to operate. However, that cost is expected to be reimbursed by FEMA.
‘Alligator Alcatraz’ immigration detention facility
FOX 35’s Garrett Wymer takes a deep dive into “Alligator Alcatraz.” Florida is now using emergency powers to take over a remote, 30-square-mile site in the Everglades to build what some are calling “Alligator Alcatraz.” The state said the site will hold up to 5,000 immigration detainees and will operate under the current state of emergency. Construction is already underway.
‘Alligator Alcatraz’ controversy
The other side:
A coalition of environmental groups filed a federal lawsuit on Friday, June 27, to stop construction of the migrant detention facility nicknamed “Alligator Alcatraz.” Critics say it threatens endangered species and violates environmental law by bypassing review and public input.
Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried believes the facility is a “dangerous distraction” from Trump’s Big, Beautiful Bill, which she says will gut $930 billion from Medicaid — the largest cut in the program’s history.
“Alligator Alcatraz is the kind of corrupt abuse of power we’ve come to expect from Florida Republicans, and Trump’s visit underscores the fact that this project is a political stunt,” Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried said. “Following in Trump’s footsteps, Florida Republicans are exploiting both Florida’s immigrant population and its most vulnerable ecosystem to sell cheap merch. Using outdated emergency powers and misappropriated FEMA funds, DeSantis and Uthmeier are taking a victory lap on their latest abuse of power: A land grab in the Everglades without any public input or research on environmental impact.”
SIGN-UP FOR FOX 35’S BREAKING NEWS, DAILY NEWS NEWSLETTERS
The court has not yet scheduled a hearing, and federal agencies have not issued public statements on whether environmental reviews will proceed.
The Source: This story was written based on information shared by the Associated Press (AP) and the Office of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and gathered from President Donald Trump’s tour of Alligator Alcatraz on July 1, 2025.
