What and where is Alligator Alcatraz and who runs it?

1. What and why: a fast-built, controversial migrant detention hub

The facility, officially referred to in some reporting as the South Florida Detention Facility or the Big Cypress Detention and Processing Center, was developed rapidly as a tented/temporary processing and detention complex intended to hold thousands of migrants; some outlets reported planned capacity in the thousands ^{[1] [5]}. Reporting paints it as a high‑visibility centerpiece of state and federal immigration enforcement: Florida officials framed the remote Everglades location as making escape and return difficult, while critics describe it as a rushed “deportation hub” raised amid concerns about detainee treatment, due process and environmental impact ^{[4] [6] [7]}.

2. Where it sits: in the Everglades at a little‑used airport

Multiple outlets locate Alligator Alcatraz at the Dade‑Collier Training and Transition Airport, a 39‑square‑mile airport area within or adjacent to the Big Cypress National Preserve, roughly 50 miles west of Miami near Ochopee — essentially inside the Everglades ecosystem ^{[1] [7] [8] [2]}. Photographs and aerial video released by officials and news organizations show tented structures, signs and temporary infrastructure on the former airstrip ^{[8] [9]}.

3. Who announced and runs it: state leadership with federal cooperation and private contractors

Florida’s attorney general James Uthmeier publicly announced the project and used the “Alligator Alcatraz” nickname in messaging; Governor Ron DeSantis has backed the initiative and appeared to have exercised state emergency powers to put the site into operation ^{[1] [6]}. President Donald Trump and DHS officials participated in promotional events and tours, and federal courts and appeals actions have played decisive roles in permitting the facility to remain open or expand ^{[1] [3] [10]}. Local reporting also identifies a constellation of private contractors the state hired to build and operate the camp, though precise contractor lists and contract values are the subject of continuing reporting ^[11].

4. Legal and political fights: courts, injunctions and stays

The facility has been the subject of lawsuits and injunctions. A federal judge at one point blocked Florida from further expansion of the center, and later appellate actions paused or overturned lower‑court orders, allowing operations to continue in contested form ^{[3] [10]}. Conservation groups, tribes and civil‑rights advocates have sued over environmental impacts, tribal land concerns and detainees’ access to counsel and medical care; reporting documents both temporary closure orders and judicial reversals that kept Alligator Alcatraz active ^{[6] [10] [12]}.

5. Conditions and reporting on detainees: competing narratives

Investigative and advocacy reporting portrays harsh conditions and serious rights concerns — Mother Jones and local outlets describe large numbers of detainees, claims of inhumane conditions, and instances of people held without criminal convictions ^[4]. State officials countered with tough rhetoric, and other coverage notes officials’ claims about processing and security; concrete, independently verified inventories of detainee populations and conditions vary across sources ^{[4] [5] [13]}.

6. Environmental and local impacts: Everglades, tribes and wildlife

Environmental groups, the Miccosukee Tribe and local officials raised alarms about construction in ecologically sensitive Big Cypress, citing threats to endangered species and impacts on lands considered sacred by tribal communities; some reporting indicates construction was halted or modified while environmental reviews and legal challenges proceeded ^{[6] [12] [4]}. Miami‑Dade officials requested analysis of environmental impacts given existing federal and state investments in Everglades restoration ^[1].

7. What remains unclear or disputed in coverage

Available sources document who announced and publicly runs the site (Florida leadership with federal engagement) and identify the location and many operational details, but they leave open precise, up‑to‑date lists of all private contractors, an official, consistently used name (both “Alligator Alcatraz” and “South Florida Detention Facility” are used), and uniformly agreed‑upon counts of detainees at any given moment ^{[1] [11] [5]}. Sources do report contractor documents and continuing investigations into costs and operations ^[11].

Conclusion — The center is a state‑led, federally intertwined detention and processing complex located on the Dade‑Collier airport land inside the Big Cypress/Everglades near Ochopee, Fla., publicly championed by Attorney General James Uthmeier and Governor Ron DeSantis and promoted by federal officials; its rapid construction, environmental siting and detainee treatment have produced sustained legal battles and investigative reporting ^{[1] [4] [3] [11]}.