Florida has started constructing a new migrant detention centre deep in the Everglades, a remote wetland known for its treacherous wildlife, as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to expand detention capacity.
Construction began on Tuesday for a temporary migrant detention facility in Florida’s Everglades, unofficially dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz" due to its isolated and hazardous location. The project is part of a broader push by President Donald Trump’s administration to increase detention and deportation of migrants amid rising numbers in federal custody.
Footage aired by a local NBC affiliate showed initial construction activity, including the setup of large tents and staff trailers. According to Florida officials, the facility will rely on the natural defences of the Everglades—an area populated by alligators, crocodiles, and pythons—for perimeter security, reducing the need for heavy infrastructure.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said the facility, which could cost $450 million annually, is projected to hold up to 5,000 people once fully operational. An initial capacity of 1,000 people could be reached within 30 to 60 days, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said in a recent video statement.
The number of migrants in federal immigration detention has surged from 39,000 to 56,000 since Trump returned to office. In response, DHS has allocated emergency funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s shelter and services programme—normally reserved for natural disasters—to finance much of the Everglades project.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) typically pays $165 per detainee per day, but the Everglades facility will cost around $247 per person per day if it reaches its full capacity.
The use of disaster relief funds for detention purposes has drawn criticism in the past, but DHS argues that the measure is necessary due to what it describes as a national-level immigration emergency.
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Syria has arrested five people suspected of having links to a deadly attack on a joint U.S.–Syrian convoy in the central town of Palmyra on Saturday, the country’s Interior Ministry said.
The U.S. condemned a drone strike on a United Nations base in Kadugli, on Saturday that killed six Bangladeshi peacekeepers and injured eight others in the disputed Abyei region between Sudan and South Sudan.
Two U.S. Army soldiers and a U.S. civilian interpreter were killed, and three other service members wounded, after an ISIS gunman ambushed a joint U.S.-Syrian patrol near Palmyra in central Syria, Pentagon officials said.
Russia’s human rights commissioner, Tatyana Moskalkova, has said that Ukraine has not provided Moscow with a list of thousands of children it alleges were taken illegally to Russia, despite the issue being discussed during talks in Istanbul.
An explosive device found in a vehicle linked to one of the alleged attackers in Bondi shooting has been secured and removed according to Police. The incident left 12 people dead.
Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa has offered condolences to President Donald Trump following an ISIS attack near the ancient city of Palmyra that killed two U.S. soldiers and a civilian interpreter, Syrian and U.S. officials said Sunday.
At least 17 people, including students, were killed and 20 others injured after a school bus fell off a cliff in northern Colombia on Sunday, authorities said.
At least 37 people have died and dozens of others were injured after flash floods swept through Morocco’s Atlantic coastal city of Safi on Sunday, authorities said.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen highlighted key developments in the ongoing peace efforts to end the war in Ukraine, stressing the importance of a robust peacekeeping force and the alignment between Ukraine, Europe, and the United States.
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