COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — The plan for “Alligator Alcatraz,” a new immigration detention center, received approval from Florida leaders on Monday, marking the start of its construction.

NBC affiliate WBBH noted that the facility is set to be built at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport, an unused airstrip located on the boundary between Miami-Dade and Collier County.

State officials told the news station that the site will house about 5,000 immigrants living in the U.S. illegally starting in July 2025.

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier indicated that this site would facilitate efficient processing and deportation, with the surrounding natural environment—inhabited by alligators, pythons, and panthers—serving as a natural barrier to discourage escapes.

“You don’t need to invest too much in the perimeter, Uthmeier said. “If people get out, there’s not too much waiting for them, besides alligators and pythons.”

On Sunday, the news station reported that several Everglades restoration and conservation groups held a peaceful protest outside the facility.

The protesters told WBBH that they are against development in the Everglades.

“This isn’t about politics,” said David Shealy, with Skunkape Research. “This is about the environment, and if we don’t put our foot down and stop developing out here in these wild lands, we’re not going to have any left.

“Alligator Alcatraz” is meant to be a temporary facility. Uthmeier said the state will only be building light infrastructure on the property.