Everyone’s talking about Alligator Alcatraz—
But here’s what no one’s talking about:
People are already being locked up there.
And Florida is refusing to let lawmakers inside.
On July 3rd, Florida State Representative Angie Nixon drove hours into the heart of the Everglades to inspect the new detention facility being called “Alligator Alcatraz.” Built on a defunct airstrip in the Big Cypress National Preserve, this site was rapidly converted into a prison camp surrounded by literal alligators, pythons, and razor wire.
Rep. Nixon didn’t show up to make a speech. She showed up to do her job: to ensure that the people being detained there are safe, treated humanely, and living in conditions that meet even the most basic standards of dignity.
She was denied entry.
“We’ve been here for over an hour. We just want to ensure that people are being treated safely, humanely, with dignity and with respect. But they’re giving us the runaround — and they’re not supposed to be denying us access. It’s against the law.”
— Rep. Angie Nixon
Officials claimed the site was “operational” and therefore “too dangerous” for her to enter.
Let’s sit with that for a moment.
Too dangerous for a state legislator.
But perfectly safe to imprison thousands of people?
This is no longer theoretical. The facility is already active. It was built in under a week, with tents for 5,000 people, a private airstrip for deportations, and reportedly 28,000 feet of barbed wire. No environmental review. No public comment. No transparency. And now: no oversight.
The governor called it a “model” for the rest of the country. The former president visited in person and joked that if people escape, “they’ll be running from alligators.”
This isn’t immigration policy.
It’s state-sanctioned cruelty.
And they are going to great lengths to keep the public from seeing it.
Rep. Nixon is right: lawmakers are allowed to visit these facilities unannounced. Denying her access is not only a violation of that right—it’s a giant red flag about what they’re trying to hide.
What conditions are people living in right now inside Alligator Alcatraz?
Is there flooding, as Nixon fears?
Are there working bathrooms? Air conditioning?
Are people receiving legal representation? Are they even being told their rights?
We don’t know.
And that’s the point.
The goal isn’t just to detain and deport. It’s to do it in secret. To keep the cruelty out of public view.
But we’re not looking away.
If you’re as horrified by this as I am, here’s what you can do:
Tag your elected officials. Demand access.
Support immigrant rights organizations demanding transparency.
Share Rep. Nixon’s video and speak out—because silence is what lets this continue.
This is not a question of border policy.
This is a question of basic humanity.
And right now, that humanity is being buried in the swamp.
With love and solidarity,
Eliza
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