The center, dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz,” recently opened in the Florida Everglades
Archbishop Thomas G. Wenski of Miami and some 25 Knights of Columbus saddled up on their motorcycles to pray the Rosary at the entrance of “Alligator Alcatraz,” the controversial migrant detention center recently opened in the Florida Everglades.
The archbishop posted images of the July 20 gathering to his X account, saying that he and his fellow riders — members of the Knights of Columbus’ Knights on Bikes International fraternal organization — “stopped at the entrance of ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ and prayed a Rosary for the detainees.”
Images shared by the archbishop showed the men standing in a circle, bikes parked and heads bowed in prayer, with the Knights of Columbus logo and a cross prominently stitched on the back of their vests.
In his post, Archbishop Wenski noted that the Archdiocese of Miami “is still waiting for approval to access” the detention center “to provide Mass for detainees.”
Located some 55 miles from downtown Miami at the Dade Collier Training and Transition Airport, the detention center consists of tents with groups of bunk beds in cage-like units of chain-link fencing and exposed communal toilets.
Water, sewage management, power and air conditioning are supplied by portable units, according to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. The facility, estimated to hold 3,000 people, has plans to be expanded to accommodate 5,000.
The center has drawn condemnation from clergy and lawmakers alike for its conditions and location — with President Donald Trump, Homeland Security Security Kristi Noem and DeSantis, a Catholic, touting the hostile environment as a security feature and immigration deterrent during their July 1 tour inaugurating the opening of the facility.
“It basically is in a swamp,” Archbishop Wenski said. “There are numerous alligators and pythons (and) boa constrictors, and tons and tons of mosquitoes.”
The tarmac on which the tents have been built “becomes even hotter because it’s reflecting the heat of the day,” he said.
One government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the New York Times that most of those detained there do not have criminal convictions.
Records obtained by The Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times show only a third of those currently housed at the site have criminal histories.
He said, “We don’t want dangerous people walking the streets freely. But the majority of the immigrants are not bad actors. They’re basically people that have tried to, through hard work, create a future of hope for themselves and their children. And as such, they have contributed to the prosperity of our nation. And some have done so for years, even decades.”
The archbishop added, “There’s no home to go back to, because home is here.”
Poll: 79% of U.S. adults say immigration generally a good thing for country
WASHINGTON — As the Trump administration implements its hardline immigration policies, a record-high share of U.S. adults said immigration generally benefits the country, a new Gallup Poll found.
A record-high 79% of U.S. adults say immigration is generally a good thing for the country, the poll found.
In its analysis of the poll, Gallup said, “These shifts reverse a four-year trend of rising concern about immigration that began in 2021 and reflect changes among all major party groups.”
Lydia Saad, Gallup’s director of U.S. Social Research, added that “the recent jump in perceptions of immigration being a good thing is largely owed to a sharp increase among Republicans and, to a lesser extent, independents. These groups’ views have essentially rebounded to 2020 levels after souring in the intervening years.”
Mike Madrid, a political consultant and author of “The Latino Century: How America’s Largest Minority Is Transforming Democracy,” told OSV News the poll shows the public feels the Trump administration has “overreached” on migration issues.
“It’s no longer even viewed as simply an immigrant or immigration issue,” Madrid said. “This is viewed as a constitutional issue, a due process issue, a militarized country issue, and the numbers are tanking.”
Catholic social teaching on immigration seeks to balance three interrelated principles: the right of persons to migrate in order to sustain themselves and their families, the right of a country to regulate its borders and immigration, and a nation’s duty to conduct that regulation with justice and mercy.
— Kate Scanlon, OSV News
