A remote airstrip deep in the Florida Everglades, recently converted into a massive migrant detention center, is now fully operational.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis confirmed Friday that deportation flights from the facility – menacingly nicknamed “Alligator Alcatraz” – have begun, marking a new and aggressive phase in the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
This development is more than a logistical update. It’s the activation of a powerful and constitutionally controversial system designed for one purpose: rapid mass removal.
‘Fire Up the Deportation Planes’
Speaking in South Florida, Governor DeSantis announced that the Department of Homeland Security has already removed hundreds of undocumented immigrants from the state in just a few days.
“I’m pleased to report that those flights out of Alligator Alcatraz by DHS have begun,” DeSantis said. “The cadence is increasing.”
When asked for details on the destinations and frequency of the flights, a senior DHS official, Tricia McLaughlin, offered a stark, one-line statement that captured the administration’s unapologetic tone: “Fire up the deportation planes.”
A Machine Built for Speed
The “Alligator Alcatraz” facility is a joint state and federal project, authorized by an emergency order from Governor DeSantis. It was constructed on an abandoned airport runway in the Everglades, a location chosen for maximum efficiency.
“One of the reasons why this was a sensible spot is because you have this runway that’s right here,” DeSantis explained. “You don’t have to drive them an hour to an airport. You go a couple thousand feet and they can be on a plane and out of here.”
“The facility’s motto might as well be ‘efficiency.’ It was designed from the ground up to reduce the time between apprehension and deportation to a matter of days, not months.”
The entire operation – from the remote location that limits access for lawyers and protesters, to the on-site runway – is engineered to streamline and accelerate the deportation process.
The Constitutional Power to Remove
This kind of rapid enforcement is built on a legal and constitutional foundation known as the “plenary power” doctrine.
For over a century, the Supreme Court has held that the political branches of government – Congress and the President – have nearly absolute, or “plenary,” authority to regulate immigration. The Court has viewed this as a fundamental aspect of national sovereignty, an area where judges have very limited oversight.
This doctrine allows Congress to create, and the President to execute, processes like “expedited removal.” Under this system, immigration officers are given the authority to deport certain non-citizens with very limited, and often no, review from an immigration judge. This is the legal mechanism that makes a facility like “Alligator Alcatraz” possible.
Due Process on the Tarmac
While the plenary power doctrine gives the government immense authority, the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution guarantees that no person shall be “deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.”
The central constitutional tension of a facility like “Alligator Alcatraz” is the clash between the government’s near-absolute power to expel non-citizens and the individual’s right to a fair hearing. Expedited removal pushes that tension to its absolute limit.
“The central constitutional tension is between the government’s near-absolute power to expel non-citizens and the individual’s right to a fair hearing. Expedited removal pushes that tension to its absolute limit.”
Critics and immigrant rights advocates argue that this hyper-efficient system is designed to deliberately trample on due process. They contend that by isolating detainees and removing them within days, the government makes it nearly impossible for individuals to access legal counsel, gather evidence for their case, or meaningfully challenge their removal – especially for those who may have a legitimate claim to asylum.
The New Face of Enforcement
“Alligator Alcatraz” and the flights now departing from its runway are the new face of American immigration enforcement.
It represents a model of peak operational efficiency, where state and federal cooperation is seamless and the primary goal of rapid removal overrides nearly all other concerns.
For supporters of the administration, this is the fulfillment of a long-awaited promise to secure the border and decisively end illegal immigration. For critics, it is a constitutionally troubling system that sacrifices the fundamental American principles of due process and access to justice for the sake of speed and deterrence.
The planes now taking off from the Everglades carry more than just people. They carry the weight of a profound national debate about the balance between law, order, and justice.