President Trump, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem visit a migrant detention center, dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz," located at the site of the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport in Ochopee, Florida on July 1, 2025.

Alligator Alcatraz may have been built in eight days, but Florida’s race to become the top spot for President Donald Trump’s deportation agenda has been building for months. Tuesday’s showcase of the immigration detention facility, comprised of tents and trailers on an isolated airstrip in the Everglades, caps months of activity led by Gov.