The location of Trump's immigrant detention center has a painful history of incarceration, abuse, and private interests.

“Alligator Alcatraz” is the insulting name Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has given the inhumane detention center he has erected in the Everglades to house immigrants rounded up in the Trump administration’s draconian assault on allegedly undocumented people living in the United States.

Alligator Alcatraz has triggered pride in the MAGA world, and fury in an unlikely bipartisan mix of South Floridians. Decades ago, bipartisan outrage erupted in a fight over a jetport on the same

Hundreds of detainees held at Alligator Alcatraz, the immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades, do not have criminal records or charges pending against them in the U.S. -- despite President Donald Trump claiming the facility would hold “ the most vicious people on the planet .”

This facility’s purpose fits the classic model, and its existence points to serious dangers ahead for the country.

Many detainees at Florida’s Alligator Alcatraz detention center have no criminal record. The Miami Herald obtained a list of over 700 individuals who are either held or are en route to the camp in the Florida Everglades. Of these, more than 250 detainees have immigration violations, but do not have any criminal charges in the United States.

Key to the marketing ploy underpinning Florida's detention camp in the Everglades is the alligator, portrayed by Republican leaders as a blood-thirsty prison guard ready to attack anyone who escapes.

The Trump administration’s push to quickly ramp up immigration arrests has led to overcrowding at ICE facilities and allegations of inhumane and unsanitary conditions.