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Michelle Vecerina from FL Voice News<\/strong><\/p>\n OCHOPEE, Fla. \u2013 Gov. Ron DeSantis\u2019 office informed Miami-Dade County officials that the state will move ahead immediately with plans to use a remote Everglades airfield as a temporary immigration detention center\u2014despite vocal opposition from local leaders, environmental groups, and the Miccosukee Tribe.<\/p>\n The Florida Division of Emergency Management formally notified Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava Tuesday of its intent to begin immediate utilization of the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport, located in Ochopee, under the governor\u2019s emergency powers.<\/p>\n Executive Director of FDEM Kevin Guthrie stated in a letter to Levine Cava that this immediate use is necessary to meet the Division\u2019s \u201ccurrent operational demands in coping with the emergency\u201d of immigration enforcement\u2014even while negotiations to purchase the property are still underway.<\/p>\n \u201cTime is of the essence. We must act swiftly to ensure readiness and continuity in our statewide operations to assist the federal government with immigration enforcement,\u201d Guthrie wrote.<\/p>\n The decision to convert the unused airstrip into a temporary migrant detention center comes after Miami-Dade County officials reportedly balked at the state\u2019s purchase offer. The facility is part of a broader push by the state to assist the federal government in its intensified immigration enforcement efforts. “If people get out, there\u2019s not that much waiting for them other than alligators and pythons. Nowhere to go. Nowhere to hide.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n FDEM offered to buy the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport\u2014an existing airstrip\u2014for the detention of individuals subject to Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainers or final deportation orders. DHS has reportedly approved this plan and indicated eligibility for federal reimbursement.<\/p>\n The site, a 30-square-mile property known as the Miami-Dade\/Collier Training Facility, is home to a \u201cvirtually abandoned airport\u201d and will soon house a 1,000-bed facility for \u201ccriminal illegal immigrants,\u201d according to Uthmeier.<\/p>\n \u201cThe governor tasked state leaders to identify places for new temporary detention facilities. I think this is the best one: as I call it, \u2018Alligator Alcatraz,\u2019\u201d Uthmeier said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
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