It looks like Alligator Alcatraz isn’t just a Florida phenomenon anymore—it’s about to become a nationwide model. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem announced today that governors from five states are actively in talks with the Trump administration to construct detention centers based on the wildly successful Florida facility, which has become both a practical solution and a symbol of tough-on-illegal-immigration policy.
Noem, without naming names, confirmed that multiple state governments are on board, and while she didn’t reveal which states yet, she made it clear that the success of the Florida facility has inspired a new wave of border enforcement infrastructure.
And frankly, it’s long overdue.
With ICE now detaining record numbers of illegal aliens—56,300 and climbing as of mid-June—the current system is being stretched to the breaking point. Trump’s “big, beautiful” bill pumped $45 billion into expanding ICE detention capabilities, but even that’s proving to be just a start. Between Guantanamo Bay being repurposed and private contracts handed out to CoreCivic and GEO Group, the White House is trying everything to keep pace.
Alligator Alcatraz, located deep in Florida’s alligator-and-python-infested Everglades, has become a symbol of the administration’s no-nonsense approach to border enforcement. It’s not a resort, it’s not a halfway house—it’s a serious, secure detention facility designed to hold illegal aliens until deportation. And, by all accounts, it’s working exactly as intended.
Now, the challenge is replicating the success in states that don’t have the benefit of ten-foot reptiles and natural swamp moats. The concept, though, is flexible. Officials are reportedly looking at other “natural barriers” and terrain-specific features that could be utilized for similar setups. Translation: if your state’s got a desert, canyon, tundra, or mountain pass, it might just get its own flavor of Alligator Alcatraz.
Naturally, the internet is having a field day with this. Social media users have already started suggesting names for the future detention centers—Coyote Canyon, Rattlesnake Ridge, Scorpion Springs, Buzzard Bluff, and Jackrabbit Junction are just a few of the crowd favorites floating around X.
So where should they go? Texas, Arizona, Nevada, Alabama, and maybe even West Virginia have been floated as likely contenders. Wherever they end up, one thing’s for sure: the era of “catch and release” is over. And the era of contain and deport just got five steps stronger.
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