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By Kate Plummer
Senior US News Reporter
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The new migrant detention center dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz" faced minor flooding within a day of it opening.
President Donald Trump visited the center in the Everglades, Florida, on Tuesday to mark its opening.
After he left, a storm caused about an inch and a half of rain to fall on the facility, according to estimates from the National Weather Service in Miami.
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Why It Matters
Since taking office in January, the second Trump administration has overseen a major immigration crackdown. The president has pledged sweeping crackdowns on border security, expanded deportation operations and an end to federal benefits for undocumented immigrants.
Trump has vowed to deport upward of 11 million people from the country, meaning deportation facilities need to be expanded.
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What To Know
The new center, the brainchild of Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, who dubbed it "Alligator Alcatraz," is at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport, a 39-square-mile site near Big Cypress National Preserve that has a 10,000-foot asphalt runway and it is expected to hold 3,000 migrants.
The Trump administration said alligators and other animals will be in the surrounding wetlands to stop people from escaping.
The center has been criticized by environmentalists who are concerned about the damage to surrounding wildlife, as well as immigrant rights groups.
The rainstorm caused water to seep into the site and onto electrical cables on the floors, according to video posted online by Spectrum News reporter Jason Delgado.
The footage also showed puddles of water surrounding flagpoles inside the facility.
What People Are Saying
The Department of Homeland Security, on X, formerly Twitter, on Monday: "We are working on cost-effective and innovative ways to deliver on the American people's mandate for mass deportations. Alligator Alcatraz will expand facilities and bed space in just days, thanks to our partnership with Florida."
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, in a statement: "Under President Trump's leadership, we are working at turbo speed to deliver cost-effective and innovative ways to deliver on the American people's mandate for mass deportations of criminal illegal aliens."
Kevin Guthrie, executive director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, told reporters: "For those people that don't think we're taking that into consideration, this is Florida, by the way. We have a hurricane plan."
What Happens Next
The new facility will cost some $450 million a year to run, according to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
Meanwhile, two environmental charities have filed a lawsuit to try to block the facility from opening.
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