Alligator Alcatraz: A Throwback To Roosevelt’s World War II Internment Camps?

The first Japanese Americans arriving at the Manzanar “War Relocation Center” (via life.com).

After Pearl Harbor, President Franklin D. Roosevelt legitimized the mass incarceration of over 120,000 Japanese individuals—even those that proved their loyalty to the U.S.—solely based on ancestry. In fact, approximately two-thirds of those incarcerated were citizens of the United States. He did this under Executive Order 9066, which essentially suspended civil liberties, such as due process, for people of Japanese descent. At that time, President Roosevelt defended his action of incarcerating citizens based on race as a necessary component to protect Americans from “enemy” countries and sabotage. Furthermore, the 1798 Aliens Enemies Act, a piece of legislation that had historically been used to detain and deport citizens from foreign countries, was, along with Executive Order 9066, the legal backbone for his actions. Fast forward to 2025, and many believe that America is experiencing a similar scenario. As the former 45th and current 47th president of the United States, Donald Trump invoked the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to facilitate the detainment and deportation of Latin American immigrants without due process, all purely on the unconfirmed basis that they might be gang members part of the Tren de Aragua (TdA), a foreign terrorist organization. This marks the first time the law had been used since President Roosevelt’s World War II-era internment orders. Many civil rights organizations and legal scholars condemn the move, pointing out that America was repeating the mistakes of its past and that President Trump’s administration was excusing racial profiling and the erosion of civil liberties under the pretext of national security. 

Under Donald Trump’s leadership, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement, commonly known as ICE, has coordinated several raids across the country, with what seems to be a focus on Asian and Latin American-dominant enclaves. The Trump Administration, however, claims that these accusations of racial or ethnic targeting are false. Regardless, cities like San Francisco, New York, and Philadelphia, were hit particularly hard, as residents faced aggressive enforcement tactics, and, in most cases, deportation with little or no due process, which is granted to everyone under both the 5th Amendment (federal) and the 14th Amendment (state). 

The rhetoric used by President Trump to justify these actions are also reminiscent of the past. Much like Roosevelt’s portrayal of Japanese Americans as dangerous and traitorous, Trump and his administration have framed immigrants from Latin America and Asia as dangerous criminals and national security threats. For example, they have referred to immigrants as “invasions” in official statements and speeches, which has been stroking the flames of xenophobic and racist sentiments across the nation. In 2023, Trump said that immigrants are “poisoning the blood of our country,” potentially hinting at where the current administration’s beliefs regarding immigration may stem from. 

Although all of these developments are extremely alarming, perhaps the most unnerving is the construction of a new migrant detention facility in the Florida Everglades, dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz” by the media. This overcrowded, under-resourced facility designated to hold thousands of detainees has been criticized by many American citizens and the media for its inhumane conditions and remote, hazardous location, as it is surrounded by python and snake-infested waters. Furthermore, reports from CNN and Human Rights Watch have stated that the facilities have overcrowded living quarters, insufficient medical care, and limited access to legal help, characteristics that are very similar to President Roosevelt’s internment camps. 

After President Roosevelt authorized the mass incarceration of hundreds of thousands of Japanese Americans, internment camps quickly became overcrowded. These internment camps were placed in remote locations, which meant that medical help and resources were oftentimes not available, leading to hundreds dying due to infections or other medical issues. Unfortunately, these deaths were justified by the American government, as Japanese Americans were generalized as spies and traitors simply because of their ethnicity. 

An eerily similar rhetoric and scenario is replaying in 2025. President Trump and others in his administration have labeled immigrants from Latin America and Asia, especially China, as “invasions” and criminal threats while deploying multiple ICE raids in communities heavily dominated by Asians and Latin Americans. Furthermore, President Trump has built a new, controversial migrant detention facility located in the Florida Everglades, named Alligator Alcatraz. The conditions of this new camp mirror the ones that Japanese Americans were housed in: unhygienic, isolated, and crowded. 

In addition to these sweeping enforcement measures, President Trump has expanded the use of expedited removal protocols and allowed immigration officers to bypass traditional court hearings and deport individuals solely based on suspicion of undocumented status or foreign affiliation. This process, often executed without legal counsel or the opportunity to present evidence, has been deeply frowned upon by liberties groups, who argue that it violates, as mentioned previously, the fundamental right to due process.