Environmental Activist on Alligator Alcatraz: Alligators Not ‘Vicious Animals’; ‘I’m More Concerned for the Wildlife than the Folks on the Site’

Elise Pautler Bennett, Florida Director and Senior Attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, said she is more concerned for the wildlife — such as alligators and pythons — surrounding the illegal immigrant detention facility “Alligator Alcatraz” than the individuals on the site, asserting wildlife pose no real threat.

“How much of a threat does this volatile environment pose to the detainees, and several thousand are going to be moved there, especially when considering this will be a tent city, exposed to storms and potentially even hurricanes,” CNN’s Wolf Blitzer asked.

“I think the storms are a real concern. But I’ll say this, when it comes to the wildlife, I’m more concerned for the wildlife than the folks on the site,” Bennett replied.

“I’ve actually waded in the wetlands not far from that site myself, waist deep in the water. No problem — wasn’t attacked by alligators,” she said, denying that the environment is dangerous.

“You know, the idea that these are vicious animals out to attack people is rather absurd, and I think it detracts from the important message, which is that this doesn’t belong here,” she claimed. “Floridians don’t want it here, and it’s wasteful and an incredible risk to our ecological resources.”

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It should be noted that the base of the facility was already largely existent, known as the Miami-Dade Collier Training Facility.

RELATED — LIVE: President Trump Visits “Alligator Alcatraz”…

As for the concerns over weather, Florida Division of Emergency Management head Kevin Guthrie outlined key facts about the facility during a roundtable discussion on Tuesday ahead of its grand opening. The facility, which provides 158,000 square feet of housing, has a fully aluminum frame structure, which he said is “rated for winds of 110 miles an hour, or a high end Category 2, for those people that don’t think that we’re taking that into consideration.”

In addition to backup generators, the facility also has a 24/7 medical facility and pharmacy as well as “air conditioning, access to indoor and outdoor rec yards, legal and clergy, support services, [and] laundry.” Detainees will also be given three hot meals per day.

President Donald Trump is among those who has noted that the facility — surrounded by ten miles of the Everglades on every side — very much comes with its own natural barrier to assist with security.

“That’s why I said, let the press join us on our walk so they can see what’s happening. It’s known as Alligator Alcatraz, which is very appropriate because I looked outside, and that’s not a place I want to go hiking anytime soon,” Trump joked.

“We’re surrounded by miles of treacherous swamp land, and the only way out is really deportation,” he added.