In pursuit of immigration enforcement, the DeSantis administration quickly seized Everglades land to construct the center. A fleet of trucks transported crucial equipment into the sensitive area. Meanwhile, environmentalists sued to prevent the facility from operating, citing potential ecological damage.

J une 19 Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announces plans for a migrant detention center in the Everglades via X. The state has declared its official name to be Alligator Alcatraz. June 21 Protesters begin gathering near the proposed site at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport as trucks carrying supplies and fill dirt stream in.

PolitiFact | Gov. Ron DeSantis did not provide evidence showing how state agencies or officials determined the facility has zero environmental impact.