As the Trump White House continues its plan to crack down on illegal immigration, some out-of-the-box ideas are being put forth to help in the effort. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier recently posted a video offering a vacant airstrip in the Everglades as a site for a migrant detention center, which he dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz.”

The idea predictably caused illegal immigration activists to hyperventilate. In all seriousness, however, considering the problems President Trump inherited from his predecessor on immigration, Alligator Alcatraz might be exactly what’s needed.

The Biden administration’s lax border policies created a de facto open-border environment, allowing an estimated 10 million illegal aliens to enter the United States since 2021. That staggering number reflects not only a failure of enforcement but a deliberate choice to prioritize political optics over national security.

The result has been a flood of foreign nationals, many of whom bypass legal pathways and vetting processes. While some may be seeking better lives, dangerous criminals are included in these numbers—drug traffickers, gang members, and violent offenders—who have exploited this chaos to enter the country unchecked.

The tragic cases of Laken Riley and Rachel Morin, to name just two of many, underscore the human cost of this negligence. Laken, a 22-year-old nursing student, was brutally murdered in Georgia in 2024 by an illegal alien with a criminal history who had been released into the community. Rachel, a Maryland mother of five, met a similar fate in 2023 at the hands of another alien who should never have been allowed to roam freely.

These are not isolated incidents but symptoms of a broader failure to prioritize the safety of American citizens. The America Last activists, with their calls for unchecked compassion over pragmatism, have had their chance to shape policy. The Biden years were their experiment, and the results are now evident: skyrocketing crime in border regions, overwhelmed social services, and preventable tragedies.

To address this crisis, America must embrace a multi-pronged approach that includes robust detention facilities like the so-called Alligator Alcatraz, expanded enforcement operations from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and a commitment to swift deportations. The argument that such measures are inhumane ignores the reality that unchecked illegal migration itself is inhumane, in addition to being unsustainable and dangerous.

Detention facilities are not about punishment but about ensuring due process while protecting public safety. The left often demands that every illegal alien be granted his day in immigration court, but this requires infrastructure to house and process them efficiently. Without facilities like Alligator Alcatraz, the system remains overwhelmed, leading to catch-and-release policies that allow unvetted individuals to disappear into the interior of the country.

Alligator Alcatraz is ideally suited to addressing this problem. Its remote location minimizes disruptions to local communities while providing a secure environment to detain individuals awaiting immigration hearings. The facility’s capacity to house thousands of detainees will alleviate pressure on existing border facilities, which are currently operating at over 109 percent capacity. By expanding detention infrastructure, we can ensure that immigration laws are enforced consistently and that those who pose a threat are not released into society while their cases are pending.

Moreover, the narrative of compassion ignores the criminal element that thrives in the absence of enforcement. U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported more than 55,000 arrests of aliens with criminal convictions or outstanding warrants at the border between 2021 and 2024. These are not mere “migrants seeking a better life” but individuals with documented histories of violence, drug trafficking, and other serious crimes. Allowing such individuals to enter and remain in the country is not compassion—it’s recklessness.

The time for half-measures is over. Alligator Alcatraz, combined with increased ICE operations and a reinvigorated deportation program, is the correction America needs. ICE must be empowered to conduct targeted operations to apprehend and remove those who have violated immigration laws. A clear message must be sent that the United States will not tolerate those who flout its laws.

In the end, the choice is clear: we can continue down the path of chaos, where illegal immigration undermines our sovereignty and safety, or we can take decisive action to correct the failures of the past. Alligator Alcatraz and facilities like it should be a critical part of that solution—a necessary step to ensure that the rule of law prevails and that tragedies like those of Laken Riley and Rachel Morin become a thing of the past. America deserves better, and it starts with enforcing our borders.