President Donald Trump, center, alongside Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, right, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis,left, speaks to reporters after arriving at "Alligator Alcatraz." It is set to become the largest migrant detention facility in the U.S. (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP)
"Nobody can ever forget what this group of people, Biden or whoever it was. It probably wasn’t even Biden, I don’t think he knew what the hell he was doing. A small group of people who surrounded the Resolute Desk, what they did to this country."
Trump praised the facility as "beautiful, so secure," with alligators and law enforcement portraying a hardline image.
After touring the facility, Trump said that some of the most "menacing migrants" will be held there. "Some of the most vicious people on the planet," Trump said. "We're surrounded by miles of treacherous swampland, and the only way out is really deportation."
DeSantis authorized the construction of the illegal immigrant detention center on a sprawling property in the Everglades' swamplands of Miami–Dade County under an emergency order. It took eight days to construct, will cost $450 million per year to operate and the Sunshine State will be fully reimbursed by the federal government.
President Trump on Tuesday visited the official opening of an immigration detention camp in Florida’s Everglades that is surrounded by alligators, aptly dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz." It is set to become the largest migrant detention facility in the U.S. (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP)
"So we want to cut through that so that we have an efficient operation between Florida and DHS to get the removal of these illegals done."
Noem acknowledged the collaboration between Florida and DHS, framing it as a potential model for other states.
"Florida was unique in what they presented to us, and I would ask every other governor to do the exact same thing," Noem said. "This is unique because we can hold individuals here. They can have their hearings. It’s a process."
She also warned illegal migrants to self-deport or else risk being detained at the high-security facility.
"They don’t have to come here, if they self-deport and go home, they can come back legally," Noem said. "But if you wait and we bring you to this facility, you don’t ever get to come back to America. You don’t get the chance to come back and be an American again."
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Environmentalists and Democrats have come out against the detention center, including lining up along Highway 41, which runs through the Everglades, to protest its construction Saturday. Protesters held signs declaring, "Another stupid plan to abuse people & the Everglades," "No Alligator Alcatraz" or signs demanding ICE is pushed "out of Florida," photos show.
Various federal and state agencies, such as the Department of Homeland Security and Florida's Division of Emergency Management, were additionally hit with a lawsuit Friday spearheaded by a pair of environmentalist groups that claim the detention facility will disrupt and threaten the Everglades ecosystem, the Associated Press reported.
Fox News’ Emma Colton contributed to this report.
Michael Dorgan is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business.
You can send tips to michael.dorgan@fox.com and follow him on Twitter @M_Dorgan.
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