Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) touted the state’s new migrant detention facility known as “Alligator Alcatraz” ahead of President Trump’s visit to the state this week, saying it will be open for business.
“I think by tomorrow, it’ll be ready for business,” DeSantis said during a press conference in Wildwood, Fla., on Tuesday.
DeSantis, who confirmed that Trump would be in attendance at the facility’s official opening on Tuesday, noted that he spoke with Trump over the weekend.
“He’s very excited about doing it,” the governor said.
DeSantis and Trump went head-to-head in the 2024 Republican presidential primary before the governor dropped out and backed the president.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Monday that Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), who Trump has endorsed for Florida governor ahead of 2026, will also be in attendance, along with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
DeSantis is term limited and cannot seek a third consecutive term as governor, though his wife, Florida first lady Casey DeSantis, has been floated as a potential candidate.
The site includes soft-sided holding units for hundreds of detainees through a partnership in which the federal government will provide the funding. The Florida Division of Emergency Management has overseen its build-out and management. Additional holding units will be added through next month, under the agreement.
The facility is expected to cost about $450 million per year, which will come from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Shelter and Services Program that was used to house asylum-seekers during the Biden administration.
DeSantis’s administration has sought to partner with the Trump administration on the issue of immigration. Earlier this year, DeSantis called for a special state legislative session to implement Trump’s immigration agenda.
“Florida should not be the only one in this fight,” the governor said on Monday. “We literally are doing what the voters who elected all of us have been demanding for many, many years