President Donald Trump has a bonkers suggestion to illegal immigrants trying to escape a new detention center dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz”–don’t run in a straight line.
Ahead of visiting the migrant detention center on Tuesday, the U.S. president talked up the new facility, which is being built in Florida’s Everglades, a large subtropical wetland area known for its alligator population.
Asked if the concept behind the detention center was to have alligators or snakes eat illegal immigrants who try to escape, Trump replied: “I guess that’s the concept. This is not a nice business.
“We have to teach them how to run away from an alligator if they escape prison. How to run away. Don’t run in a straight line. Look, like this,” Trump said as he gestured his hands in a swirly, snake-like motion. “And you know what? Your chances go up about 1 per cent.”
Spearheaded by state Republican leaders, some of whom have started selling “Alligator Alcatraz” merchandise ahead of Trump’s visit, the new detention camp is being built on an airfield site, in Ochopee, west of Miami.
But there has already been significant pushback from Democrats and immigration advocates, who say it is inhumane to put people in the middle of a swamp surrounded by snakes and alligators.
The facility is also in an area prone to scorching heat waves and hurricanes.
However, the harsh conditions are what Republicans hope will deter illegal immigration, in line with Trump’s mass deportation program.
“They can’t get stuck in a hurricane if they self-deport,” Bill Helmich, executive director of the Republican Party of Florida, said on X.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ administration used its emergency powers to expedite the $450 million-per-year facility, which authorities say can house around 3000 people.
The site also has a runway that can be used to quickly fly undocumented immigrants to third countries if deportation is deemed appropriate.
Environmental groups have sought to block the facility until it undergoes a stringent environmental review, as required under the law.
“This scheme is not only cruel, it threatens the Everglades ecosystem that state and federal taxpayers have spent billions to protect,” said Eve Samples, executive director of Friends of the Everglades, which was one of the groups who filed a lawsuit last Friday.
