The facility, which Trump toured Tuesday, has swiftly become a symbol of the president's border crackdown. Illegal immigrants could start arriving there soon after his visit, which included walking through a medical facility featuring temporary cubicles as areas for treatment.
Assembled on a remote airstrip with tents and trailers that are normally used after a natural disaster, the detention center has been nicknamed “Alligator Alcatraz.”
A key selling point for the Trump administration is the site's remoteness — and the fact that it is in swampland filled with mosquitoes, pythons and alligators. It hopes to convey a message to detainees and the rest of the world that repercussions will be severe if the immigration laws of the United States are not followed.
“There’s only one road leading in, and the only way out is a one-way flight,” said White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. “It is isolated, and it is surrounded by dangerous wildlife and unforgiving terrain.”
