President Trump is expected to attend the opening of the “Alligator Alcatraz” detention center in Florida this week, The Hill’s sister network NewsNation reported.
Trump will be joined by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem at the opening on Tuesday, a source familiar with the plans confirmed to NewsNation correspondent Libbey Dean.
The Trump administration and Florida leaders have decided to move forward with a plan to build a detention facility on a remote site nestled in the state’s swampy Everglades to hold undocumented migrants awaiting deportation.
The site is expected to open with soft-sided holding units for hundreds of detainees through a partnership whereby the federal government provides the funding, and the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) oversees its build out and management. Additional holding units will be added through next month, under the agreement.
The facility is projected to cost about $450 million a year, which will come from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Shelter and Services Program that was used to house asylum-seekers during the Biden administration.
The DHS-approved plans will allow the new Florida facility to hold immigrants arrested in the Florida, as well as transfers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers.
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