House Speaker Danny "Daniel" Perez, R-Miami, expressed confidence in the goal of Florida's new illegal alien detention facility during its grand opening in the Everglades, dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz." The facility, an abandoned 39-square-mile, 10,500-foot-long jetport runway, is expected to house as many as 5,000 criminal migrants in an attempt to expedite the federal government's deportation process.
"The goal was to make sure that we had beds where we can house the illegal immigrants temporarily until the federal government can come pick them up and deport them for committing the crimes," Perez told The Floridian.
First unveiled by Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, Alligator Alcatraz is surrounded by the Everglades, making it an ideal location, according to Republican officials, to house criminal illegal migrants. Snakes and pythons also encircle the compound, limiting the likelihood of escape.
"That is what this is. This is essentially what Director [Tom] Homan asked for months ago," Perez continued. "He wanted to be able to hold the illegal immigrants so the federal government can come pick them up and do their job."
On the other hand, Florida Democrats have slammed Alligator Alcatraz as a "stunt" and "political theatre." It has also been denounced by the Miccosukee Tribe, which resides on the area's land.
President Donald Trump arrived at the facility Tuesday morning. The House Speaker praised the president for his work in cracking down on illegal immigration, a contrast to the policies during the Biden administration.
"Prior to President Trump taking over and fixing the problem of illegal immigration in the way that he's been doing such a great job at - what was happening was the federal government was capturing the undocumented immigrants, the illegal immigrants, and then releasing them because they were never holding them," Perez said. "There were no facilities for the hold. That is what this facility is. It is a hold for the federal government to come pick them up and deport them the way that they should be deported."
Following Trump's lead, Florida has spearheaded several initiatives in enforcing illegal immigration. They include Operation Tidal Wave and increasing the Florida Highway Patrol's ability to assist in enforcement.
"I'm glad that the President was able to be here today, and I look forward to being able to disincentivize illegal immigration, which is the whole concept of why we're here," Perez added.
Trump was joined by Gov. Ron DeSantis, who greeted him on the facility's runway Tuesday morning. Perez and the governor's relationship has been touchy in the past, especially on the topic of illegal immigration during the legislative session.
Perez called his current relationship with the governor "professional."
"You know, I respect his position as governor, and I'll do my job as speaker and whatever's in the best interest of Florida, something that we're always going to try to get to, even if there's different ways on how to get there," Perez said. "We both have the same goal in mind."
Both DeSantis and Trump were joined by several other Florida officials at the grand opening, including U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds. The congressman is running for governor and is Trump's pick to succeed DeSantis in Tallahassee.
The governor's wife, Casey DeSantis, has yet to decide on getting into the race. For now, Perez indicated that Donalds is the right choice to take over.
"I've known Byron for a long time. He was my first friend in the legislature. I think he's a good man. He's a great leader," Perez said. "I look forward to see if anyone else gets in the race. But as of right now, he's still the candidate, and I think you do a good job as governor."
