MIAMI — President Donald Trump has arrived at the Florida-run immigration detention center deep in the Everglades that is supposed to be ready to house hundreds of detainees.

Ahead of a tour of the facility, Trump told reporters that Gov. Ron DeSantis had done a “beautiful” job with the facility, dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz” by state officials. He added Florida could be a model for the rest of the country.

“Don’t let Florida be the only state,” DeSantis said while standing next to Trump. “I think this is a model, but we need other states to step up.”

Trump asked Florida’s governor if there is potential to expand the existing facility. DeSantis, who said on Monday that the center responded to federal needs for detention space, pointed to a North Florida military base as a possible way to expand capacity. But he noted the state is only planning on using Alligator Alcatraz for now.

“We will see what the tempo is,” he said.

Before Trump took off on Air Force One from Washington, D.C., a reporter asked the president if the point of the detention facility’s location — a swampy environment filled with alligators and pythons — is meant to have detainees who escape be eaten by the large reptiles.

“”I guess that’s the concept,” Trump said. “This is not a nice business. I guess that is the concept.”

The president then joked that immigrants will need to learn how to run away from alligators if they escape.

“Don’t run in a straight line,” he said. “Run like this,” he added, while hand-motioning a zig zag. “And you know what, your chances go up by 1 percent. Not a good thing.”

While that exchange happened, Florida law enforcement were in the Everglades preparing for the president’s visit. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Acting Director Todd Lyons, U.S. Rep. Byron Donald, a Republican running for Florida governor, and Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier are also slated to attend.

Florida authorities and contractors built the facility in eight days. Alligator Alcatraz, surrounded by the Everglades, will be able to hold up to 3,000 detainees. DeSantis and other state officials have touted the harsh environment as a key feature of the detention center that they hope will also deter undocumented immigrants from coming into the country. More than 400 security personnel will be staffing the facility, which has 28,000-plus square feet of barbed wire.

Several vehicles, including Collier County Sheriff cars, black SUVs and moving trucks, could be seen entering the facility on Tuesday morning. Law enforcement and press lined up outside of the facility’s gates.

The first public photos and videos of the inside the facility’s large white tents showed pods of bunk beds separated by chainlink cells. Officials said Tuesday morning that detainees would have access to resources like laundry, clergy and legal services.

‘It’s just wrong’

Protesters were also expected to be nearby on Tuesday, criticizing the building of the immigration detention center on environmentally sensitive land. Environmentalists, immigration advocates and Native American tribes from the area have teamed up to resist the construction of the facility and gone to the courts to stop its opening.

Among the early crowd of media stood Phil Ehr, 64. The retired U.S. Navy commander is running for the House of Representatives in the 28th District against Republican incumbent Rep. Carlos Giménez.

Ehr, who has been at the Dade Collier Transitional Airport since around 5 a.m. called “Alligator Alcatraz” a “waste of money” and criticized its exorbitant cost for tax payers while Florida residents are still recovering from Hurricanes Ian and Milton.

“And here we are spending all this money over here on basically political theater,” Ehr said. “It’s just wrong.”

He said he does not trust the facility to keep the detainees safe and pointed to the recent death of Isidro Perez, the 75-year old Cuban immigrant who died in immigration detention in Miami on Thursday.

“They don’t deserve to die in the same conditions from which they fled,” he said.

Around 10:30 more protesters started trickling in. Rachel Bass, 49, drove 2 hours from Cape Coral to protest.

“This area was not meant to support this type of project. It’s environmentally hazardous, not to mention incredibly cruel and inhumane,” said Bass, who carried a sign that said “No ICE in the Everglades.”

Basis, a who is still recovering from damage to her home from Hurricane Ian in 2022, said she was surprised by how fast the detention center was erected.

“If they were able to build the type of infrastructure, that is, you know, air conditioning, plumbing, running water, electricity, all of that stuff, if they were able to do that in a week, they have some real explaining to do for the rest of Southwest Florida, the next hurricane that hits,” she said.

A truck drove around the facility Tuesday with large photos on the side displaying portraits of Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Miami U.S. Reps. María Elvira Salazar and Carlos Giménez, with the wording: “Traitors to immigrants to Miami Dade to the American Dream.“

There were some Trump supporters among the crowd. Bob Kunst, a long-time South Florida gay-rights activist, word a red hat with the words, “Trump was Right About everything,” while he pushed a black cart that said “We love ‘Daddy’ Trump” in bold red letters.

Kunst said he is still a registered Democrat but no longer supports the party. He added that he is for legal immigration and supports the construction of Alligator Alcatraz.

“The bottom line is, I support what they’re doing, I support what Trump is doing,” he said.

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