The Florida Attorney General recognized Marion County Sheriff’s Office this weekend for transporting its first batch of undocumented immigrants to Alligator Alcatraz, a new immigration detention facility in Florida’s Everglades.
On Sunday, Florida AG James Uthmeier shared a brief statement on social media praising Marion and Walton County Sheriff’s Offices for transporting the prisoners.
“Thank you to our Marion and Walton County Sheriffs’ Offices for working together to transport illegal aliens to Alligator Alcatraz before they’re sent back to where they came from,” reads a statement from Uthmeier. “Florida’s Sheriffs work across the state to keep Florida safe, strong, and free. It’s an honor to support them.”
Announced last month, Alligator Alcatraz was built at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport in Ochopee. It is west of Miami, situated within the Everglades.
According to Governor Ron DeSantis, the new facility was built to alleviate the burden from local jails where law enforcement agencies are helping Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials.
The new prison was unveiled on July 1 and has been accepting detainees in the days since. During its opening ceremony, President Donald Trump praised the facility and its location. The president suggested the new facility was as “good as the real Alcatraz.”
The name of the facility is a reference to the former Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary that is located in San Francisco Bay in California.
After that announcement was made, multiple residents shared opinions in opposition to the policy.
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