Florida has launched a programme offering immigrants state funds to self-deport, with those refusing potentially sent to a detention facility critics have dubbed 'Alligator Alcatraz'. The initiative, operational for several weeks, involves state law enforcement taking individuals accused of being in the country illegally to federal Border Patrol stations, where they are offered money for a one-way flight home.
Kevin Guthrie, executive director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, said: 'We give them that one last chance to do the right thing, and that is self-deport. If they do that, then we will help them get from Florida back to their home country by purchasing that low-cost, one-way flight.' Officials argue the programme is cost-effective and helps migrants avoid lengthy detention amid immigration court backlogs.
However, critics raise serious due process concerns. Aaron Reichlin-Melnick of the American Immigration Council called the programme 'inherently coercive', noting that those who refuse could be sent to a detention facility where conditions are known to be poor and access to legal counsel is limited. 'People are being forced to make a decision to leave behind their families, jobs, houses, and lives in the United States in a matter of hours,' he wrote.
The programme is part of Governor Ron DeSantis's broader effort to integrate state law enforcement with federal immigration priorities. Florida has encouraged agencies from the Highway Patrol to university police to join the federal 287(g) programme, which deputises local officers to enforce immigration law. Residents say this has created fear in Latino communities, with people avoiding driving or displaying cultural symbols.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) claims such collaborations are a 'license to abuse', leading to racial profiling. A 2022 report found that 59 per cent of sheriffs in the programme had a record of anti-immigrant rhetoric, and 65 per cent showed patterns of racial profiling or excessive force.
