Trump to visit ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ migrant detention center this week, source says

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to attend the opening on Tuesday of a temporary migrant detention center in southern Florida dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz”, a source familiar with the matter said.

The step comes as Trump, a Republican, has sought to ramp up the detention and deportation of migrants, saying the measure was needed after millions crossed the border illegally under Democrat Joe Biden.

The center got the nickname from its remote location in the Everglades, a vast subtropical wetland teeming with alligators, crocodiles and pythons that a Florida official said this month provides natural barriers, requiring minimal security.

Trump will be accompanied by Kristi Noem, the secretary of Homeland Security, who asked him to visit, said the source, who spoke on Sunday, on condition of anonymity.

The White House did not respond to a request for comment.

The numbers in federal immigration detention have risen sharply to 56,000 by June 15, from 39,000 when Trump took office, government data show, and his administration has pushed to find more space.

(Reporting by Steve Holland; Editing by Humeyra Pamuk and Clarence Fernandez)