Illegal migrants in America could be left at the mercy of bears if a top Donald Trump aide gets his way.
White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy, Stephen Miller, has called on Republican governors to build similar detention centers to Florida’s new Alligator Alcatraz.
‘Every governor of a red state, if you are watching tonight: Pick up the phone, call [Department of Homeland Security], work with us to build facilities in your state so we can get the illegals and criminals out,’ he said on Fox News‘ The Ingraham Angle.
The State of Alaska responded to the call in a statement to Ingraham, saying: ‘We don’t have alligators, but we have lots of bears.’
The state has around 100,000 black bears, 30,000 brown bears, and up to 7,000 polar bears, the government said.
However, the unidentified spokesperson said: ‘I am not aware of any plans for an Alaska version of Alligator Alcatraz.’
Daily Mail has reached out to the governor’s office for comment.
Trump said he’d like to see similar facilities in ‘many states,’ adding Florida would getting a second one ‘and probably a couple more.’
White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy, Stephen Miller, has called on Republican governors to build similar detention centers to Florida’s new Alligator Alcatraz
The State of Alaska responded to the call in a statement to Ingraham, saying: ‘We don’t have alligators, but we have lots of bears’
‘At some point they might morph into a system where you’re going to keep it for a long time,’ he added.
‘The incredible thing is picking the site because the site was one of the most natural sites. It might be as good as the real Alcatraz. Well, that’s a spooky one too. That’s a tough site. So I really think it could last as long as they want to have,’ he said.
The president noted that ‘I couldn’t care less’ that the facilities were controversial.
Trump toured the Florida site earlier this week and seemed pleased with the metal cages filled with prison-like beds and nothing else. The facilities does not show bathrooms or sinks or places to eat.
The president said any migrant being processed into the facility who wanted to return to their home country would be allowed to do so. And he said he would be making a decision on exempting farm workers and construction workers in the next few weeks.
‘They can be here legally. They can pay taxes and everything else. They aren’t getting citizenship but they get other things,’ the president said.
Trump also said he approved a plan from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to deputize Florida National Guard members as judges, giving them the power to decide which migrants should be deported. DeSantis argues it would speed up the deportation process.
‘Yes, he has my approval. That was not too hard to get,’ Trump said.
However, the unidentified spokesperson said: ‘I am not aware of any plans for an Alaska version of Alligator Alcatraz’ (pictured: Governor Mike Dunleavy)
Trump also bragged about his own record on removing illegal immigrants from the country and got in an insult to his predecessor, President Joe Biden.
‘Biden wanted me in here,’ Trump said, gesturing around the tent. ‘It didn’t work out that way. He wanted me in here.’
Trump has long claimed his Democratic rivals wanted to ‘lock him up’ and that he is the victim of a government conspiracy.
On his tour Tuesday, he was accompanied Gov. DeSantis – with whom he had a bitter rivalry in the 2024 Republican presidential primary – and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
The president said he and DeSantis now had a strong relationship.
‘It’s a ten, 9.9. A couple little wounds. I think we have a 10. We get along great,’ he said.
DeSantis echoed his remarks: ‘You can call him at any time and he wants to be helpful for governors. I can tell you that.’
Alaska has up to 7,000 polar bears (pictured: stock image of polar bears in Alaska)
The state also has around 100,000 black bears and 30,000 brown bears
The controversial detention facility was spearheaded by Florida Republican leaders and garnered its nickname due to its location: it sits about 37 miles from Miami in the middle of a swamp surrounded by snakes and alligators — and in an area of the state that is prone to hurricanes.
Democrats railed against the facility and environmental groups have sued to try and stop its opening.
‘It’s like a theatricalization of cruelty,’ Maria Asuncion Bilbao, Florida campaign coordinator at the immigration advocacy group American Friends Service Committee told the Associated Press.
Rep. Maxwell Frost, a Democrat from Orlando, called the facility a ‘makeshift prison camp.’
