Despite allegations to the contrary, a top U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer claims he is unaware of any plans for an Alligator Alcatraz detention facility in Alabama.
Assistant field officer Chris Cannon of the New Orleans ICE office stated on Tuesday that he is unaware of any plans for a similar detention facility in Alabama.
Cannon said he should be among the first to know if a jail center, with or without an alligator swamp surrounding it, is being planned.
After speaking to a group of county sheriffs attending the Alabama Sheriffs Association’s summer conference this week in Orange Beach, Cannon told AL.com, “I’m not aware of it.” All of it would be my responsibility.
In the Florida Everglades, an isolated immigrant colony run by the Florida state government was dubbed Alligator Alcatraz. State and federal officials have emphasized its location by pointing out that alligators and snakes may provide protection for the detainees housed within its swamplands.
Cannon, a 16-year ICE veteran who assists in overseeing a field office that spans five Southern U.S. states, including Alabama, stated, “I am not aware of anything like that in this state.” Two businesses from Mobile were given the go-ahead to construct these facilities. However, from what I hear, that is not limited to Alabama; rather, it is a national issue.
Following President Donald Trump’s praise of Alabama and other Republican-led states for developing their own versions of Alligator Alcatraz last week, he made these remarks.It also follows the awarding of contracts to two mobile businesses, Rapid Development Inc. and Kastel Enterprises, to construct more detention beds nationwide for ICE and the Department of Homeland Security.
When Trump floated the notion of a similar center in Alabama, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville answered, “Let’s do it,” on his X gubernatorial campaign website.
The Trump administration has been under fire from protesters for the Florida facility, which they have described as cruel and a makeshift prison camp. But while the federal government goes through a huge deportation plan under Trump, GOP advocates argue it’s affordable and might be a model for other temporary institutions.
Environmental organizations and others expressed concern over the lack of adequate resources, such as food and water, because it was constructed in a couple of weeks. It has been described as an impending human rights catastrophe by civil rights organizations.
With an estimated operating cost of $450 million, the facility can accommodate roughly 3,000 people, with the possibility of accommodating 5,000.
According to the office of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, transportable equipment will supply utilities like power, water, and sewerage.
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