Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem did not say which states were discussing these plans with her team.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on July 12 that five Republican-led states were discussing plans to build detention sites within their borders similar to Florida’s “Alligator Alcatraz.”
Noem hosted a press conference in Tampa, Florida, on Saturday to discuss some of the illegal immigrants the Department of Homeland Security had recently arrested and deported via the Sunshine State. She took several questions on Florida’s new Alligator Alcatraz and praised the temporary detention facility.
“We’ve had several other states that are actually using Alligator Alcatraz as a model for how they can partner with us as well,” Noem said. “I’m having ongoing conversations with five other governors about facilities that they may have.”
Noem said she had not asked the governors if she could share their names publicly. She said the plans to build similar facilities in other states were spurred by capacity limitations.
“We need to double our capacity in detention beds because we need to facilitate getting people out of this country as fast as possible and to sustain our operations,” Noem said.
Florida opened Alligator Alcatraz earlier this month in Ochopee, which is situated within the Everglades more than 50 miles west of downtown Miami. The facility, intended to be temporary, was constructed primarily with tents and metal fencing and can accommodate up to 3,000 prisoners.
Kevin Guthrie, the head of Florida’s emergency management, said the facility can withstand high-end Category 2 hurricane winds. Critics have raised concerns about the impacts the facility and its prisoners could face if a major hurricane hit the site, particularly after the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicted an “above normal” hurricane season this year, with at least three to five Category 3 or higher storms.
Noem said at Saturday’s press conference, and that there are protocols in place to “sustain any hurricane,” but did not mention if prisoners would need to be evacuated if a Category 3 or higher storm hit the area.
By Jacob Burg
