Lawmakers to Exercise Statutory Authority for On-Site Inspection Amid Mounting Legal, Moral, and Humanitarian Concerns
EVERGLADES, FL — In response to a series of deeply troubling developments at the state-run immigrant detention facility known as “Alligator Alcatraz,” Florida State Senator Shevrin Jones, Senator Carlos Guillermo Smith, and State Representatives Dr. Anna V. Eskamani, Angie Nixon, and Michele Rayner will conduct an official legislative site visit Thursday, July 3, 2025, in the afternoon.
This visit comes just days after Donald Trump toured the facility, hailing it as a national model for immigration detention, and following the Department of Homeland Security’s designation of the site as a “state facility,” effectively shielding it from federal oversight. Just last night, immigrants were transferred into the detention camp while the facility was reportedly flooded due to rainshowers, exacerbating concerns about safety and emergency readiness in an already volatile environment.
In a joint statement, the lawmakers said:
“We are exercising our legal authority as state legislators to inspect this remote, taxpayer-funded facility at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport. This is not a federal project—it is fully funded, operated, and approved by the State of Florida under Governor DeSantis. And what’s happening here is un-American. Alligator Alcatraz represents a makeshift detention camp of cruelty, rooted in a corrupt, no-bid, $450 million pay-for-play scheme to enrich GOP donors under the pretense of border enforcement.
“What we’re witnessing isn’t about security or solving problems—it’s about inhumane political theater that endangers real people. Reports of extreme heat, flooding, structural issues, environmental threats, and human rights violations demand immediate oversight. As lawmakers, we have both the legal right and moral responsibility to inspect this site, demand answers, and expose this abuse before it becomes the national blueprint. So much of this is also a distraction from the everyday issues all Floridians are facing, like housing affordability and the property insurance crisis. DeSantis should be focused on solving those issues, not creating even more chaos.”
“Alligator Alcatraz” is one of three known detention sites in Florida operating under the DeSantis administration’s rapidly expanding and politically driven immigration enforcement regime.
Florida law grants elected officials full access to inspect state-operated facilities without prior approval. The delegation intends to review the site’s physical conditions, assess risks to detainees and staff, and scrutinize how public dollars are being spent—with a specific focus on transparency, vendor accountability, and legal compliance.
Lawmakers may be available for media on-site.
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