President Trump will attend the the opening of a new temporary migrant detention center located in the Florida Everglades on Tuesday.
The step comes as Trump has sought to ramp up the detention and deportation of migrants, saying the measure was needed after millions crossed the border illegally under Democrat Joe Biden.
The center got the nickname from its remote location in the Everglades, a vast subtropical wetland teeming with alligators, crocodiles and pythons that a Florida official said this month provides natural barriers, requiring minimal security.
Trump will be accompanied by Kristi Noem, the secretary of Homeland Security, who asked him to visit.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) touted the state’s new migrant detention facility known as “Alligator Alcatraz” ahead of President Trump’s visit to the state this week, saying it will be open for business.
“I think by tomorrow, it’ll be ready for business,” DeSantis said during a press conference in Wildwood, Fla., on Monday.
DeSantis, who confirmed that Trump would be in attendance at the facility’s official opening on Tuesday, noted that he spoke with Trump over the weekend.
“He’s very excited about doing it,” the governor said.
The site includes soft-sided holding units for hundreds of detainees through a partnership in which the federal government will provide the funding. The Florida Division of Emergency Management has overseen its build-out and management. Additional holding units will be added through next month, under the agreement.
