The White House confirmed Monday that the dangerous wildlife was a design feature of a new illegal immigrant detention center in Florida that’s been nicknamed “Alligator Alcatraz.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said it was a bonus to have alligators and pythons in the detention center’s Everglades location.
“When you have illegal murderers and rapists and heinous criminals in a detention facility surrounded by alligators, yes, I do think that’s a deterrent for them to try to escape,” she said.
Ms. Leavitt said the plan was to keep dangerous criminals far away from where they can threaten Americans.
“We do know that some of these illegal criminals have escaped from other detention facilities, like one in New Jersey,” she said. “So, of course, we want to keep the American people safe, and we want to remove these public safety threats from our streets.”
President Trump will be visiting the facility when it opens on Tuesday. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida will also be there.
The facility is in the heart of the Everglades, with only one road leading into it. The isolated site is surrounded by unforgiving terrain and dangerous wildlife, including alligators and pythons.
The facility will have up to 5,000 beds and serve as a hub to house, process and deport criminal illegal immigrants, according to the White House.
“This is an efficient and low-cost way to help carry out the largest mass deportation campaign in American history,” Ms. Leavitt said.
