President Donald Trump, center; Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, right; and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem (not pictured) tour a migrant detention center, "Alligator Alcatraz," at the site of the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport in Ochopee, Fla., July 1, 2025. (Getty)
FLORIDA ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS TRY BLOCKING TRUMP'S 'ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ' WITH LAST-MINUTE LAWSUIT
The visit comes days after President Donald Trump toured the state site alongside Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
Democrats alleged illegal immigrants were transferred to the detention center Wednesday night when the site was "reportedly" flooded due to rain.
They claimed the rain, which rolled in less than a week after the previously unoccupied airport facility opened to illegal immigrants, "exacerbate[ed] concerns about safety and emergency readiness in an already volatile environment," according to the release.
President Donald Trump speaks with Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem as they tour "Alligator Alcatraz." (Getty)
Trump officials announced Tuesday the project was approved, and crews started working on the transformation Monday.
"What we’re witnessing isn’t about security or solving problems — it’s about inhumane political theater that endangers real people," the Democrats wrote in the statement. "Reports of extreme heat, flooding, structural issues, environmental threats, and human rights violations demand immediate oversight. As lawmakers, we have both the legal right and moral responsibility to inspect this site, demand answers, and expose this abuse before it becomes the national blueprint.
"So much of this is also a distraction from the everyday issues all Floridians are facing, like housing affordability and the property insurance crisis," they added. "DeSantis should be focused on solving those issues, not creating even more chaos."
The "inspection" comes two months after Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center where three members of Congress also stormed the facility's gate, demanding they be allowed to conduct an "oversight visit."
While Baraka was arrested for trespassing, he was released hours later and charges were dropped.
In addition to the lawmakers' in-person visit, multiple environmental groups filed a federal lawsuit on Friday claiming officials needed to pause construction to allow time to evaluate the potential ecological impacts of the renovations.
Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin previously told Fox News Digital a "lazy" lawsuit, filed by Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity in the Southern District of Florida, "ignores the fact that this land has already been developed for a decade."
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DHS did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
Fox News Digital's Louis Casiano and Fox News' Bill Melugin contributed to this report.
Alexandra Koch is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital. Prior to joining Fox News, Alexandra covered breaking news, crime, religion, and the military in the southeast.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/dem-lawmakers-inspect-alligator-alcatraz-detention-center-citing-safety-concerns