The Biden-Harris administration turned America’s southern border into a revolving door for illegal aliens.
Now Trump’s team is making sure that disaster never happens again.
And Kristi Noem just tore apart Biden’s immigration legacy with this explosive announcement.
Five more states join Trump’s detention facility revolution
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem dropped a bombshell announcement that sent shockwaves through the entire political establishment.
Speaking to reporters in Tampa, Florida on Saturday, Noem revealed that she’s in active talks with five Republican governors to build massive new immigrant detention facilities in their states.¹
The announcement comes hot on the heels of Florida’s groundbreaking "Alligator Alcatraz" facility opening in the Everglades.
This joint state-federal operation can house up to 3,000 people and is surrounded by thousands of alligators in the nearby swampland — making escape virtually impossible.
"We’re looking at other locations as well. We’ve had several other states that are actually using Alligator Alcatraz as a model for how they can partner with us as well," Noem stated.²
The homeland security secretary made it crystal clear that these aren’t just pipe dreams — they’re happening.
She revealed that those talks with the Republican governors are "ongoing," with announcements on any planned immigrant detention facilities "coming soon."²
Trump’s detention revolution expands nationwide
Governor Ron DeSantis broke the mold when he became the first governor to partner with the Trump administration on expanding immigrant detention capacity.
President Donald Trump himself visited Alligator Alcatraz on its opening day, praising the facility’s innovative approach to preventing escapes.
He noted the gators’ presence in the area and said the only escape route for migrants detained there is "deportation."¹
Noem explained the urgent need for expanding detention facilities during her Tampa press conference.
"As you all know, we need to double our capacity and detention beds because we need to facilitate getting people out of this country as fast as possible and to sustain our operations," she said.²
The Biden-Harris administration’s open border policies created a crisis that overwhelmed America’s detention infrastructure.
Republican governors step up while Democrats stay silent
Noem didn’t hold back when she contrasted the leadership shown by Republican governors with the silence from their Democrat counterparts.
"Those governors have been fantastic. I will tell you, they are all Republicans," Noem said. "So I would challenge some Democrats to start taking care of your states, partner with us."²
While Noem declined to name the five states currently in talks, she made it clear that Republican governors across the country are eager to work with the Trump administration to secure America’s borders.
The contrast couldn’t be more stark.
Republican governors are rolling up their sleeves and providing real solutions to the immigration crisis that Joe Biden created.
Meanwhile, Democrat governors continue to obstruct Trump’s efforts to restore order at the border.
They’d rather protect criminal illegal aliens than the American citizens who elected them.
The "Alligator Alcatraz" model proves that states can be effective partners in immigration enforcement when they have leaders who actually care about the rule of law.
America’s immigration system gets the overhaul it desperately needed
The expansion of detention facilities represents a complete 180-degree turn from the catch-and-release policies that defined the Biden-Harris years.
For four long years, illegal immigrants knew they could cross the border, get processed, and disappear into American communities with little chance of ever being deported.
That free ride is officially over.
Trump’s partnership with Republican governors creates a sustainable system for housing illegal immigrants while their deportation proceedings move forward.
The alligator-surrounded facilities ensure that those who entered illegally won’t be able to escape back into American communities.
This is exactly the kind of innovative thinking that the immigration crisis demanded — and only Republican leadership was willing to provide it.
As more Republican governors sign on to build their own detention facilities, America is finally getting the secure border that voters demanded when they elected Donald Trump.
The days of catch-and-release are dead and buried.
And thanks to leaders like Kristi Noem and Ron DeSantis, illegal immigrants will finally face real consequences for breaking America’s immigration laws.
¹ Zach LaChance, "Five more large-scale detention facilities like ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ coming soon, Noem says," July 12, 2025.
² Ibid.
