Alligator Alcatraz Exposed: Florida’s Secret Plan for a Rapid Deportation Pipeline

ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ,FROM PERMANENT PRISON TO QUICK RESPONSE DEPORTATION HUB

Florida’s sudden seizure of the Everglades Jetport makes far more sense if the real objective is not a permanent detention complex but a high-throughput “transfer hub” that can funnel migrants from ground custody to outbound deportation flights within 24-48 hours. The Dade-Collier runway is already long enough for wide-body jets, the state is erecting only tents and trailers, and the governor’s order expires in 60 days—just long enough to prove the concept before litigation can bite. Below is the evidence that Tallahassee is using emergency-powers sleight-of-hand to grab the airfield, run a rapid-removal pipeline, and then walk away once the political photo-op is secured.

1 | Why the Jetport Is Perfect for “Catch-and-Fly”

A Cold-War-Grade Runway

• Runway 09/27 is 10,499 ft × 150 ft, built for supersonic transports in 1968 and still rated “good” by Miami-Dade Aviation ⇢miami-airport.com.

• That length easily handles ICE charter jets and even military C-17s or 737 “Swift Air” deportation flights; C-130s need barely 3,000 ft ⇢static.e-publishing.af.milpacaf.af.mil.

Minimal Retro-Fit Needed

• Landside facilities are almost nonexistent—exactly why the state is rolling in FEMA tents, light towers, fuel bladders and trailer latrines instead of pouring concrete ⇢nbcmiami.comwashingtonpost.com.

• ICE already runs “ICE Air Operations” shuttles that pick up detainees at remote strips and fly them straight to removal hubs overseas ⇢ice.gov.

2 | Emergency Powers as a Legal Fig Leaf

Move	Statute	Effect
Governor declares “immigration emergency”	Chap. 252.36, Fla. Stat.	Allows property “commandeer” for 60 days, renewable once ⇢m.flsenate.govflsenate.gov
FDEM “notice of entry” to Miami-Dade (24 June)	Internal letter	Trucks roll same day; no deed, no lease ⇢politico.com
DHS/FEMA bless project as “emergency shelter”	Stafford Act waiver	One-page “categorical exclusion” sidesteps full NEPA EIS ⇢washingtonpost.comnbcmiami.com

Because work is confined to the paved apron, courts have so far refused injunctive relief: no “irreparable wetland harm” has occurred ⇢washingtonpost.comwashingtonpost.com.

3 | Tell-Tale Signs It’s a Through-Put, Not a Prison

1. 5,000 beds—but all in tents. Nothing permanent is planned; shipping-container dorms can be yanked out as fast as they arrived ⇢nbcmiami.comwashingtonpost.com.

2. No wastewater plant or kitchen build-out. Water and sewage are coming in tanker trucks; meals are MRE-style—fine for 48 hours, not months.

3. Runway remains operational. The state’s site plan leaves the 150-ft-wide strip clear for night charters.

4. ICE playbook matches. ICE regularly stages “last-mile” detention at airfields precisely to avoid long-term housing costs ⇢ice.gov.

5. Historical precedent. During the 1980 Mariel boatlift, Florida threw up huge tent cities to hold Cuban arrivals briefly before flying or busing them onward ⇢time.comen.wikipedia.org.

4 | Who Benefits—and Who Gets Burned

• State optics: DeSantis scores a “tough-on-illegals” photo-op without footing a billion-dollar prison bill ⇢politico.com.

• ICE convenience: A ready-made runway cuts transfer time from county jail to outbound flight by half.

• Miami-Dade’s loss: The county gets its airstrip commandeered yet receives no compensation so far, and litigation will take months.

• Environmental & Tribal risk: Once tents creep off the asphalt, wetlands and Miccosukee cultural grounds are one bulldozer-track away ⇢washingtonpost.com.

5 | How to Expose and Stop the Shell Game

1. File for a TRO on property-rights grounds this week—emergency orders cannot nullify the Florida Constitution’s takings clause.

2. Demand runway NOTAM disclosures. If ICE charters are booked, the “temporary shelter” narrative collapses.

3. Trigger full NEPA review. Even a “temporary” facility handling international flights must assess emissions, noise, and wildlife strikes.

4. Use Mariel precedent. Show courts the historic pattern: tents today, abandonment tomorrow—leaving local taxpayers to clean up.

5. Seek a federal audit. If FEMA funds a project marketed one way but used for mass deportations, that’s potential misuse of federal dollars.

Bottom Line

Everything about the Jetport grab—short-term tents, runway ready for jets, 60-day legal window—screams transit station, not prison. The state’s deception rests on speed and opacity: get migrants in, get them out, and claim victory before judges can rule. Unmasking that timeline—and forcing a real environmental, fiscal and legal reckoning—is the surest way to ground “Alligator Alcatraz” before the first deportation wheels leave the tarmac.