Trump tours 'Alligator Alcatraz' for migrants in Florida

U.S. President Donald Trump arrived in Florida on Tuesday (July 1) for the opening of a remote migrant detention center in the Everglades dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz" as he pressures lawmakers to deliver a sweeping spending bill which would ramp up deportations.

The facility sits some 37 miles (60 km) from Miami in a vast subtropical wetland teeming with alligators, crocodiles and pythons, fearsome symbolism the White House has leveraged to show its determination to purge migrants it says were wrongly allowed to stay in the country under former President Joe Biden's administration.

Trump himself issued a warning about the wildlife around the facility on Tuesday.

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are debating the details of a bill that could significantly expand funding for deportations. Trump has lobbied fiercely for the bill, which he wants passed before the July 4 Independence Day holiday and includes several of his other tax-and-spending plans alongside tens of billions of dollars for immigration enforcement.

While touring the facility, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said that she is working with the Justice Department to see if CNN can be prosecuted for reporting on a phone app that alerts users to sightings of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in their area.

Trump said CNN may very well be prosecuted for giving publicity to the app.

Trump criticized former President Joe Biden's administration’s border policies, alleging 25 million undocumented individuals had entered the U.S. under its open border approach. "What we inherited from this guy... should never, ever be forgotten," Trump said.

Trump also proposed a system to help farmers retain undocumented workers legally without granting citizenship. "Farmers need them to do the work. Without those people, you're not going to be able to run a farm," he stated.

On another topic, Trump said on Tuesday he will discuss the situations in Gaza and Iran when he meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House next week, adding that he hopes to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza soon.

Trump plans to meet Netanyahu on Monday and told reporters during a visit to Florida that he would be "very firm" with him on the need for a speedy Gaza ceasefire while noting that Netanyahu wants one as well.