Florida Emergency Management Chief Pushes Back at Democratic Criticism Over “Alligator Alcatraz” Detention Facility

Florida’s top emergency management official is firing back at Democrats who have raised an outcry over the state’s new detention center for illegal immigrants, informally dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz.”

Kevin Guthrie, Executive Director of Florida’s Division of Emergency Management, spoke on “Jesse Watters Primetime,” describing the recent bipartisan tour of the facility as a spectacle more focused on political theater than on observing the facility itself. According to Guthrie, while over 60 lawmakers attended, some came more to perform than to evaluate.

“Absolutely,” Guthrie said when asked if there were attempts to stir controversy. “One of my favorites involved an individual using an infrared thermometer, pointing it at a light bulb, and claiming it was reading 110 degrees. I had to step in and say, ‘Let’s check the actual ambient air temperature, not the bulb.’”

Democrats also criticized the facility’s toilet setup. Guthrie emphasized that the accommodations meet or exceed state and national standards.

“This is a standard lock-up toilet system found in any secured facility,” he said. “There is a sink, there is a toilet. People brush their teeth, they use the restroom. That’s all it is. It’s a restroom—nothing more, nothing less.”

The tour also included criticism of the facility’s meals, specifically a turkey sandwich, which Florida Democratic Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz reportedly called “gray” without even unwrapping it.

“That might be one of my favorites,” Guthrie said. “She was six feet away from a wrapped turkey sandwich box. I’m not sure how she could judge the color. But let’s be honest—hospital food, school lunches under Michelle Obama’s program—it’s the same thing. Nobody’s getting filet mignon here.”

Guthrie underscored the underlying purpose of the facility: enforcement of federal immigration law.

“For years, some have prioritized illegal immigrants over American citizens,” Guthrie said. “That stops here. If you break federal immigration law—and especially if you commit a violent crime—you’re not getting a resort stay or a gift card. You’re getting a cell. It’s not designed for comfort. It’s designed to enforce consequences.”