President Donald Trump will be in the Florida Everglades on Tuesday for the opening of a controversial immigrant detention center spearheaded by state Republican leaders, which has faced vocal pushback from Democrats, Native American leaders and activist groups over humanitarian and environmental concerns.
The facility, informally dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz” by state Republicans, was the brainchild of state Attorney General James Uthmeier. It has received significant national attention, including during a “Fox and Friends” interview with Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday.
DeSantis described the push as Florida’s continued effort to align the state with Trump’s anti-immigrant crackdown. But Trump’s decision to attend in person, along with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, has shifted some of the focus to the administration, which had to approve Florida’s plan to run the facility.
“When the president comes tomorrow, he’s going to be able to see the facility, which is expected to be ready for operation on Tuesday” DeSantis said at a news conference Monday.
He said that he spoke to Trump over the weekend and that Trump is “very excited.”
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Article URL : https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/alligator-alcatraz-set-open-trump-desantis-rcna215943