Florida’s bid to be on the front lines of President Donald Trump’s mass deportation plans has taken a swampy turn.
The state, with approval from the Department of Homeland Security, started this week to build a temporary detention center in the Florida Everglades for undocumented immigrants arrested by state police and federal immigration authorities.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a social media post Monday that the federal government is “working at turbo speed” and the facility will be funded in large part by the FEMA Shelter and Services Program.
Gov. Ron DeSantis is using emergency powers to take control of the facility after his administration offered to buy the land from the county. According to the governor’s office, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava offered what DeSantis’ office called an “unreasonable” price tag for the state to buy the county land, $190 million.
“Time is of the essence. We must act swiftly to ensure readiness and continuity in our statewide operations to assist the federal government with immigration enforcement,” the Division of Emergency Management wrote in a letter informing the county of the emergency takeover.
Florida’s top Democrats blasted the idea initially proposed by Attorney General James Uthmeier, with Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried saying the state is “hijacking” county-owned land.
“This proposed detention center isn’t just cruel, it’s environmentally catastrophic. This facility would desecrate ecologically critical wetlands, trample on Tribal sovereignty, and transform one of the world’s most cherished ecosystems into a prison camp for political gain,” Fried said Tuesday, adding that Uthmeier, a former chief of staff for DeSantis and architect of the Martha’s Vineyard immigrant operation, “is again using human lives as props.”
She wasn’t alone in her criticism, with Democrats in the state House and U.S. House criticizing the move.
The AG’s idea
Uthmeier first posted about the idea on X June 19. Uthmeier’s post has garnered 291,800 views in the last five days.
In the video, Uthmeier says DeSantis has tasked state leaders with finding new locations for detention centers and that Miami Dade Collier Training and Transition Airport is the ideal location.
“Because you don’t need to invest that much in the perimeter. People get out, there’s not much waiting for them other than alligators and pythons. Nowhere to go, nowhere to hide,” Uthmeier said. He also said the National Guard will be on site.
The facility occupies 39 square miles and is in the middle of the Florida Everglades. Uthmeier said in his post that as many as 1,000 beds could be brought online in the next 30 to 60 days.
The Training and Transition Airport initially was constructed in the 1970s as a replacement runway for Miami International Airport but environmental concerns brought continued development to a halt. According to the airport’s website, roughly 900 acres of the 24,960-acre property has been developed. The Florida Game and Freshwater Fish Commission manages the remainder.
Supporters of mass deportations
Uthmeier and his former boss, DeSantis, have been vocal supporters for the Trump administration’s promise of mass deportations. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials and state police raided an apartment complex building site near the Florida State University last month.
Shortly after Trump’s election, the Florida Legislature met in special session to pass a law that, among other things, makes it a first-degree misdemeanor for a person to enter the state as an “unauthorized alien.”
DeSantis signed SB 4C on Feb. 13, but U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams blocked its enforcement temporarily after the Florida Immigrant Coalition, the Farmworker Association of Florida, and two women lacking permanent legal status brought suit against the state.
Williams on June 17 found Uthmeier in contempt of court for referring to the court’s order blocking the law as illegitimate and unlawful.
Criticisms
FDP Chair Fried wasn’t alone in her criticism of the plan.
“Donald Trump, his Administration, and his enablers have made one thing brutally clear: they intend to use the power of government to kidnap, brutalize, starve, and harm every single immigrant they can — because they have a deep disdain for immigrants and are using them to scapegoat the serious issues facing working people,” U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost said.
“They don’t care if people live or die; they only care about cruelty and spectacle,” Frost added. “Anyone who supports this is a disgusting excuse for a human being, let alone a public servant.”
“Florida is too expensive for Floridians, but instead of doing something about it, Attorney General Uthmeier is spending his time on the right-wing podcast circuit trying to go viral — he’s all in,” state Rep. Dan Daley said.
“Enough with camera-chasing appointees. Florida doesn’t need another politician trying to go viral. We need an Attorney General who will actually do the job,” Daley said. “If Uthmeier can’t, we should find someone who will.”
According to the governor’s office, state use of the facility will be “completely self-contained” and will not involve removing vegetation or permanent construction.
–Jay Waagmeester, Christine Sexton, Florida Phoenix
