US Homeland Security to fund Florida’s immigration detention centers

ISTANBUL

US Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Monday that the federal government will fund Florida’s plan to establish immigration detention centers, including the proposed "Alligator Alcatraz" site in the Everglades.

Noem said Florida’s immigration detention centers will be largely funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s shelter and services program, which assists groups and cities receiving migrants released from federal custody at the US-Mexico border.

"Under President Trump's leadership, we are working at turbo speed on cost-effective and innovative ways to deliver on the American people's mandate for mass deportations of criminal illegal aliens," Noem told CBS News.

"We will expand facilities and bed space in just days, thanks to our partnership with Florida."

Last week, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said that an abandoned Everglades airfield will be turned into a detention center for immigrants with criminal records, nicknamed "Alligator Alcatraz."

Uthmeier said the site's natural surroundings serve as a strong deterrent, warning that detainees trying to flee would face alligators and pythons with nowhere to hide.

On Monday, Uthmeier announced federal approval for Florida’s plan to build Alligator Alcatraz and other sites, which could hold up to 5,000 detainees and begin operating as temporary facilities early next month.

The move comes amid a broader effort by Republican-led states to assist the Trump administration in implementing its mass deportation agenda.