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Everglades ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ Detention Center Sparks Tribal Outcry
Miami, Florida – Construction of a new Immigrations and customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center in the Florida Everglades, nicknamed “Alligator Alcatraz,” is facing fierce opposition. The proposed facility,designed to house 5,000 undocumented immigrants,is slated to be completed by the end of summer. However, the project has ignited a firestorm of controversy, drawing criticism from environmental groups and, most pointedly, the Miccosukee Indian Tribe, who claim it will inflict irreversible ecological and cultural damage.
Tribal Lands Under Threat: A History Repeating Itself?
The constant drone of dump trucks has become a disruptive soundtrack to life near Everglades National Park, according to Mae’anna Osceola-Hart, a 21-year-old photographer of miccosukee and seminole descent.
Her sentiment reflects a deep-seated concern within the tribal community. The proposed detention center is surrounded on three sides by the homes and ceremonial grounds of the Miccosukee and Seminole people.
Osceola-Hart’s family history is intertwined with battles over land development. Her great-grandfather, Wild Bill Osceola, fought against the construction of an airport on the very same site where “Alligator Alcatraz” is now being built.
Echoes of the Past: The Big Cypress Jetport controversy
Back in 1968, Dade County (now miami-Dade County) authorities initiated the Big Cypress Jetport project on land traditionally used by the Miccosukee for ceremonial practices. the Dade County Port Authority envisioned the “world’s largest airport,” boasting six runways to accommodate large jets. Officials dismissed environmental and tribal concerns, labeling opponents as “butterfly chasers.”
The airport project became a symbol of resistance. In 1969, a coalition including Wild Bill Osceola, other tribal members, and conservationists successfully persuaded Florida Governor Claude R. Kirk Jr. that the airport would devastate the Everglades ecosystem. Governor Kirk ordered construction to cease, leaving behind a single 10,000-foot runway used for pilot training.
While Osceola-Hart feels pride in her great-grandfather’s victory, she also laments the loss of sacred Miccosukee land. “We got kicked out of ceremonial grounds,” she says, highlighting the lasting impact of the development.
A Continuing Struggle for Land and Identity
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