Environmental activists gathered Saturday outside the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport deep in the Florida Everglades to protest construction of what they've dubbed " Alligator Alcatraz ," a controversial immigration detention center that Gov. Ron DeSantis says will expand the state's ability to process and deport undocumented migrants.
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The demonstration, organized by the Center for Biological Diversity and Friends of the Everglades, drew dozens of protesters to the edge of Tamiami Trail, not far from the remote airstrip where construction equipment rumbled past.
Activists accused the state of rushing the project without a thorough environmental review and warned of long-term harm to the Everglades ecosystem.
The facility, located at a little-used airport surrounded by wetlands, is expected to house more than 3,000 undocumented migrants. The site includes a runway to allow for deportation flights and is outfitted with temporary air conditioning units, restrooms and showers.