As President Donald Trump prepares to visit a new migrant detention facility in the Florida Everglades on Tuesday dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz,’ some of his opponents are calling it cruel and environmentally dangerous.
“‘Alligator Alcatraz’ is the kind of corrupt abuse of power we’ve come to expect from Florida Republicans, and Trump’s visit underscores the fact that this project is a political stunt,” said Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried.
“Following in Trump’s footsteps, Florida Republicans are exploiting both Florida’s immigrant population and its most vulnerable ecosystem to sell cheap merch. Using outdated emergency powers and misappropriated FEMA funds, [Fla. Gov.] DeSantis and [Fla. Attorney General James] Uthmeier are taking a victory lap on their latest abuse of power: a land grab in the Everglades without any public input or research on environmental impact.”
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“DeSantis’ internment camp puts decades of massive restoration and billions of dollars in Everglades investments at risk, said U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Florida. ”It desecrates the tribal lands it sits upon and wastes hundreds of millions of state funding at a grossly inflated cost. When hurricanes bear down on these flimsy structures at a sacred, environmentally sensitive location, it will either produce costly evacuation boondoggles, or grisly mass casualties."
“’Alligator Alcatraz’ is a callous political stunt,” said former Congressman David Jolly who’s running to be Florida’s next governor. “Florida’s most pressing challenge is the housing affordability crisis created by Republican leaders, not immigrants working to support our state’s economy.
“As Governor, I will rescind the current Governor’s emergency order, return control of the airfield to Miami-Dade County, protect the Everglades and the ancestral Miccosukee lands, and ensure that those whose only offense is pursuing the American dream on behalf of their family and kids can continue contributing to Florida’s culture and economy,” Jolly said.
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