Republican states are considering building versions of Florida's "Alligator Alcatraz," a detention facility for illegal immigrants that was celebrated by President Donald Trump.

A new state-run immigration detention center nicknamed “Alligator Alcatraz” is set to open Tuesday in the Everglades.

At a press briefing on Monday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) spoke about being reimbursed by the federal government for Alligator Alcatraz.

SLS Co. is among firms awarded fast-tracked state contracts to build a holding facility in the Everglades, but lawsuits are in motion.

On Sunday two men stood in front of Alligator Alcatraz to show support for the detention center. One held a sign that read, “Welcome to Paradise. Don’t feed the animals.” Th

Major DeSantis contributor was awarded Alligator Alcatraz contract - Everglades facility is already targeted by lawsuits from environmental groups who say DeSantis overstepped authority to speed devel

Trump and DeSantis have a complicated history, with the president’s endorsement propelling the little-known congressman to the governor’s mansion in 2018. In a television ad, DeSantis sat with one of his children and used mock bricks to build a border wall.

The detention immigration facility is located in an idle airstrip in the Everglades that the DeSantis administration recently seized from Miami-Dade County using emergency powers.

At the direction of Gov. Ron DeSantis, Florida is quickly constructing a $450 million-a-year immigration detention center, dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz."

DeSantis’ broader use of emergency power comes as U.S. presidents have also leaned on their emergency authority. Elena Chachko, a law professor at Berkeley Law School, said that both Trump and Biden employed emergency power in broad and ambitious ways.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has previously said there would be no impacts to vegetation and there would be no paving or permanent construction at the Everglades site.