Notifications of special VIP Movement for the towns of Palm Beach and Ochopee this Tuesday could hint at the possibility of a visit by President Donald Trump to the developing site known as ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ in the eastern part of Collier County, situated in the Everglades. The Federal Aviation Administration’s Safety Team published two such notifications on Sunday, one focusing on Palm Beach, where Trump’s Mar-A-Lago home resides, and the other dedicated to Ochopee, which is specified as the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport’s location.
Previously, a time-limited air travel restriction was enacted due to heightened security concerns at the Everglades location. This restriction, effective from June 26 till December 26 of this year, prohibits the use of Unmanned Aircraft System operations, encompassing the use of drones and related ground control systems for various purposes like data collection, surveillance, or even product delivery, unless otherwise mentioned in the Notices to Airmen (NOTAM).
The so-called ‘Alligator Alcatraz’, an immigration detention center under construction at an unused airport in the Big Cypress National Preserve in Eastern Collier County, has seen a fair share of recent activity. This includes frequent truck movements into, and out of the location, even amidst protests against the establishment of the camp, joined by hundreds including Native American representatives, conservation groups, and other concerned citizens.
The Dade-Collier locale has been hectic with preparatory activities for almost a week, transforming the location into a functional immigration detention center. This past Saturday, there was recorded continuous movement of dump trucks and other vehicles either entering or exiting the camp site, amidst a waving sea of protesters.
However, a NOTAM, which is a pre-flight notification warning pilots of relevant circumstances that might affect flight conditions, for either the Palm Beach or Ochopee locations hasn’t been issued so far. The location also known as ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ was previously the proposed site for a major jetport back in the 70s before President Richard M. Nixon terminated the project.
Remarkably, the foundation of a significant runway constructed during that time can still be utilized at the location. In efforts to block the establishment of the detention center, environmental organizations submitted a federal lawsuit this previous Friday.
Two groups, the Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity, are the main initiators of the legal action being taken against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Florida Division of Emergency Management, and Miami-Dade County. The lawsuit’s objective is to stop any progress on the project until a comprehensive environmental review as mandated by federal rules is conducted.
The lawsuit, filed in Miami’s federal court, also insists on public comment opportunities regarding this project. Yet, the Governor’s representative announced they plan to contest the lawsuit in court. State officials have declared that the center is prepared to start processing individuals who entered the U.S. illegally as early as July 1.
In a curious turn of events, the state’s Republican Party has commenced selling merchandise including T-shirts, marked with the ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ emblem. Governor DeSantis’s administration in Florida has actively pursued immigration law enforcement and has shown substantial support towards the federal government’s general crackdown on illegal immigration.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has expressed support for the ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ project. Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency would be partially funding it.
The secretary commended Florida for taking the lead with a concept such as ‘Alligator Alcatraz’. This initiative, according to Secretary Noem, involves an immigration detainee housing facility nested in a Florida swamp, a unique proposal indeed.
Secretary Kristi Noem revealed that the department is on the lookout to expand immigration detention capacity. As part of this process, she confirmed that the department is assessing contracts that Immigration and Customs Enforcement have entered with different providers for detention beds.