Outrage as MAGAs turn 'Alligator Alcatraz' facility into tourist attraction: 'Trash culture at it again'

The detention facility, which was the brainchild of Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, has drawn strong opposition from Democrats
UPDATED JUL 10, 2025
A viral TikTok showed a family taking photos in front of the 'Alligator Alcatraz' sign (@Lippyaddiction/X)
A viral TikTok showed a family taking photos in front of the 'Alligator Alcatraz' sign (@Lippyaddiction/X)


 

OCHOPEE, FLORIDA: Furious outrage sparked online as MAGA supporters crowded to visit the Donald Trump administration's new immigration detention facility in Florida, known as "Alligator Alcatraz."

Located in the Florida Everglades, about 50 miles west of Miami, the detention facility was opened on July 1 when President Donald Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem joined Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to tour the center.

Since it began operations, the facility, which was the brainchild of state Attorney General James Uthmeier, has drawn strong opposition from Democrats, Native American leaders, and activist groups over humanitarian and environmental concerns.



 

MAGA supporters flocking to take selfies at 'Alligator Alcatraz' detention facility

While prominent far-left figures have condemned the detention facility, it has turned into a new tourist attraction for MAGA enthusiasts eager to catch a glimpse of it.

A TikTok video recently went viral, showing a MAGA supporter with his son and wife taking photos in front of the facility’s sign.



 

In the video, the woman filming the family is heard blasting them, accusing them of finding it “fun to kill people.”

MAGA supporters aren’t the only ones gathering at the facility. Earlier this week, hundreds of protestors assembled at the detention centre, carrying signs demanding humane treatment for migrants and urging the protection of the area, which is home to several Native American tribes and numerous endangered animal species.

Internet users slam MAGA supporters for taking pictures with 'Alligator Alcatraz' sign

MAGA supporters flocking to visit the "Alligator Alcatraz" facility has sparked fierce backlash on the internet, with one user saying, “What has our country become when a family deems it fitting to snap photos of each other in front of Alligator Alcatraz as if it were an entrance sign to an amusement park. Disgusting!!! Simply disgusting!!!”

“I pray that anybody posing next to that sign rolls their fat ankles while taking it,” another mocked, while a person bluntly wrote, "Trash culture at it again." 

“There’s a moronic competition with their Facebook friends to see who could be the most racist. ‘Pics or it didn’t happen!’” someone else said. 

“Nazi Germans couldn't take pictures at the gate of Auschwitz beneath the sign 'ARBEIT MACHT FREI.' (Work makes you free.) Jews saw this sign before being worked to death and gassed. MAGA takes selfies at Alligator Auschwitz. What disgusting morons!” someone else mentioned. 

“Hard to explain how this makes me feel. Just an entire political movement that craves the suffering and misery of others while nothing improves for them and mostly gets worse,” the fifth user said.

“This is repulsive behavior. Absolutely disgusting,” one more attacked, with another writing, “Deplorables. The word you’re looking for is deplorables.”



 



 



 



 



 



 



 

Detainees allege deplorable conditions at 'Alligator Alcatraz'

This came after detainees and their loved ones denounced the "Alligator Alcatraz" facility, alleging deplorable conditions, including a lack of water, issues with electricity, and copious mosquitoes.

Cuban reggaeton artist Leamsy La Figura, who was transferred to the facility earlier this month, told CBS News, “We've been here at Alcatraz since Friday. There are over 400 people here. There's no water to take a bath, it's been four days since I've taken a bath.”

 In an aerial view from a helicopter, the migrant detention center, dubbed
In an aerial view from a helicopter, the migrant detention center, dubbed 'Alligator Alcatraz,' is seen located at the site of the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport on July 4, 2025, in Ochopee, Florida (Alon Skuy/Getty Images)

He also claimed that the food at the facility is scarce and unsanitary. "They only brought a meal once a day, and it had maggots. They never turn off the lights for 24 hours. The mosquitoes are as big as elephants," La Figura claimed.

Other detainees shared La Figura’s concerns, claiming their fundamental rights had been violated at the immigration facility. "They're not respecting our human rights," one man said during the same call, adding, "We're human beings; we're not dogs. We're like rats in an experiment."

However, state officials have vehemently denied the allegations made by detainees at the facility, saying they are "completely false."

"The reporting on the conditions in the facility is completely false. The facility meets all required standards and is in good working order," said Stephanie Hartman, director of communications for the Florida Division of Emergency Management.

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

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