There are plenty of things that press secretary Karoline Leavitt has done or said since Donald Trump took office for his second term. For some, however, not much compares to her reaction when she announced Trump’s “Alligator Alcatraz” during a press conference on June 30, 2025. During her announcement, which was shared across social media by numerous news outlets, Leavitt seemingly proudly announces that “the only way out is a one-way flight.”
After she shared this news, along with Trump’s plans to travel to the detention center in Florida’s Everglades, social media users called her out for her apparent happiness despite the severity of the detention center. One person commented on a video of the conference on TikTok that was shared by ABC News, “The joy in her voice is violating.” And the reactions get more outraged from there.
@abcnews White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced a new Florida immigration detention center in the Everglades, to be informally known as “Alligator Alcatraz.” “There is only one road leading in and the only way out is a one-way flight." #news #politics #ABCNews ♬ original sound – ABC News
Karoline Leavitt’s press briefing about ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ left some stunned.
In the press conference footage, Leavitt explains where the facility is and what its purpose is. According to her, it’s a way to imprison “criminal” illegal immigrants, who she calls “illegal aliens.” She also says why the location is key in keeping these individuals in one place and how strong the natural security measures are.
“The facility is in the heat of the EVerglades and will be informally known as Alligator Alcatraz” Leavitt says during the conference. There is only one road leading in and the only way out is a one-way flight. It is isolated, and surrounded by dangerous wildlife and unforgiving terrain. The facility will have up to 5,000 beds to house, process, and deport criminal illegal aliens.”
Although she appears to have a certain amount of pride in her voice, at least according to some social media users, there was a bevy of negative responses on TikTok. On the video shared by ABC News, someone commented, “Her gloating about dehumanizing citizens is abhorrent.”
Someone else wrote, “The way she casually says, “otherwise known as Alligator Alcatraz,” is horrifying. You would think a government administration would want to distance themselves from that nickname as much as possible. Not this one. They seem proud of it.”
Others likened the very idea of the detention camp to a concentration camp. Some even compared the nature of Alligator Alcatraz to Auschwitz, arguably the most infamous death camp in Nazi-occupied Poland.
Alligator Alcatraz?
— Dittie (@DittiePE) July 1, 2025
No
Call it what it is:
Alligator Auschwitz pic.twitter.com/hBwnnj6FSA
People have been actively protesting the undocumented migrant detention camp.
After the announcement of the detention center in Florida was made public, those who oppose the idea of what they are calling Alligator Alcatraz began to protest outside the entrance to the facility. In a video someone shared on TikTok, dozens of protesters can be seen posted outside of the gate that leads to a long road to the detention center.
The video says that hundreds of millions of dollars in Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, funds are going toward keeping Alligator Alcatraz open and running each year. Despite apparent plans to have the camp open, however, according to Newsweek, Alligator Alcatraz was bombarded with rain soon after Trump visited the property. The magazine also reported that the facility is set to hold 3,000 migrants at one time once it opens.
