Trump's Border Czar: Alligator Alcatraz Makes ICE Look Like a "Joke"

Since opening in July, Alligator Alcatraz — Florida's immigration detention site in the Everglades — has drawn plenty of criticism. Some say the now-official name trivializes prison conditions, while others have gone further, likening it to "Alligator Auschwitz."

But yesterday, pushback came from an unexpected place: Trump's own "Border Czar."

On August 13, while speaking to reporters outside the White House, Tom Homan, a longtime immigration law enforcement official now tasked with helping the Trump administration implement its massive deportation efforts, explained his dislike for immigration detention center nicknames like Alligator Alcatraz and the recently announced Speedway Slammer in Indiana.

"I don't particularly like the names," Homan said. "I mean, the men and women in [the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)], what they're doing out there every day is dangerous, it's serious. They're doing it with dignity, honor, and respect, and I think sometimes those names take away from that."

President Trump’s Border Czar @RealTomHoman tells me he’s not a fan of immigration detention center nicknames like “Alligator Alcatraz” & “Speedway Slammer.” pic.twitter.com/8Eais7HJtO

— Libbey Dean (@LibbeyDean_) August 13, 2025

He continued: "People get caught up in the names, and they think it becomes a joke. I don't think what we're doing is a joke."

Neither Gov. Ron DeSantis' office nor Florida's Division of Emergency Management (FDEM), which is currently running Alligator Alcatraz, responded to New Times' request for comment.

Since detainees first arrived at Alligator Alcatraz, formerly known as the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Center, they've reported inhumane and unsanitary conditions, including relentless swarms of giant mosquitoes, extreme temperature swings, and inadequate medical care at the remote site.

Because immigration enforcement is typically handled by the federal government, and Alligator Alcatraz is run by the state, detainees held there don't appear in the usual ICE database. Immigration attorneys, who say they've had limited access to their clients, have described it as a "black hole."

Recently, two federal judges in Miami pressed the DeSantis and Trump administrations to answer a basic question: Who is actually in charge there?

On August 7, U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams ordered the state to stop construction at the Everglades site for two weeks amid a legal battle over the potential environmental impacts. Williams is expected to rule no later than August 21 on whether to temporarily shut the site down.