🐊 US IMMIGRATION: “We will teach you to run faster than an alligator”

Imigrantes cruzando área pantanosa na fronteira dos EUA, simbolizando os riscos da travessia irregular.

Introduction: Trump, Alligators, and a New Era of Immigration

"We're going to teach you how to run from alligators... Don't run in a straight line. Run this way. And you know what? Your chances increase by about 1%." It was with these words that Donald Trump , President of the United States, inaugurated, on July 1, 2025 , a new immigration detention center in Florida, informally dubbed "Alcatraz of the Alligators ." The ironic and cruel tone caused international repercussions and shed light on the new phase of immigration to the United States —increasingly marked by hostility, detentions, and inhospitable environments.

The statement, which could be seen as a joke, was made in front of a facility built in the heart of the Everglades, surrounded by swamps, snakes, and, yes, alligators. The message behind the statement is clear: the risk of escape now isn't just detention, but also survival in the wild.

When the border becomes a trap

The new center symbolizes more than just a strengthening of immigration policy. It represents a system that turns immigration into a stress test. With increased surveillance in Texas and Arizona, many immigrants have sought alternative routes, such as Florida—where they now face drones, thermal scanners, dense forests, and natural predators.

Immigration to the US has become a high-risk journey. And when the president himself mocks the situation, suggesting that immigrants should learn to escape wild animals, the degree of dehumanization of the debate becomes clear.

Migration policy as a spectacle

Trump returned to the presidency promising to "take back America"—and immigration was his main focus. Since January 2025, his administration has reinstated harsh measures such as family separation, cuts to humanitarian visas, and the construction of new detention centers in remote areas.

The rhetoric is clear: to show the world that immigration to the US will be severely punished. The facility in the Everglades isn't just a prison. It's a media symbol. A warning.

The role of social media and despair influencers

Meanwhile, on social media, especially TikTok, videos with "tips" on how to enter the US continue to go viral. Migration route influencers teach how to wear thermal clothing, avoid sensors, and now... how to escape alligators. Many of these videos are aimed at desperate Brazilians, Venezuelans, Hondurans, and Haitians.

The contrast is stark: on one side, young people posting videos of hope; on the other, a president suggesting a zigzag escape from hungry reptiles.

Human trafficking adapts

Coyote and smuggling networks quickly adapted to the new reality. Now, they sell entry packages through the swamp route for up to $12,000, claiming that Trump's new facility is "easy to bypass." They even sell life jackets and insect repellent as essential items. Everything turns into profit.

Immigration to the US has become a desperate market. And profit comes from the illusion that there's always a new route available.

A system under moral collapse

Human rights organizations immediately reacted to Trump's remarks, calling them "inhumane" and "incompatible with democratic values." Human Rights Watch classified the Everglades center as a "biohazardous open-air prison."

Still, a portion of the American population approves. Recent polls show that 63% of Republican voters support tougher immigration laws, even if they violate basic rights.

Elections and political calculation

With the 2026 midterm elections approaching, Trump is using immigration to the US as a mobilization tool. His rhetoric, though controversial, generates engagement. The "racing of alligators" has become a meme among supporters—and a diplomatic scandal among neighbors.

Border politics has become entertainment for some and tragedy for others.

Legal alternatives: broken promises

Foto aérea dos Everglades com instalações de segurança

Cena de imigrantes atravessando áreas pantanosas

Jovens assistindo TikTok com dicas de imigração

Cartaz de campanha eleitoral com slogans sobre imigração

Cartaz com a frase de Trump: “corram em zigue-zague”

Humanitarian visas, asylum, temporary protection: everything seems inaccessible to those who need it most. Embassies are overwhelmed, applications take years, and the criteria are increasingly restrictive.

Thus, even in the face of centers surrounded by reptiles, illegal immigration to the US is still seen by many as the only real chance.

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Conclusion: The warning was given — and filmed

Trump didn't just talk. He filmed, posed, and went viral. What was once a humanitarian issue has now become a campaign strategy, a meme, and a tool of exclusion. Immigration to the US has entered a new phase: that of a punitive spectacle.

But behind the irony, there are lives at stake. And real alligators.

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📚 References

DIÁRIO DO GRANDE ABC. Trump says migrants will have to know how to run from alligators when opening prison in Florida . 2025. Available at: https://www.dgabc.com.br/Noticia/4243114/trump-diz-que-migrantes-terao-de-saber-correr-de-jacares-ao-inaugurar-prisao-na-florida . Accessed on: July 13, 2025.

STATE OF MINAS. Trump visits “Alcatraz of the alligators”, new immigration detention center . 2025. Available at: https://www.em.com.br/internacional/2025/07/7188679-trump-visita-alcatraz-dos-jacares-novo-centro-de-detencao-de-imigrantes.html . Accessed on: July 13, 2025.

HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH. US: Immigration Detention Policies Under Fire . 2025. Available at: https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/06/22/us-immigration-detention-policies-under-fire . Accessed on: July 13, 2025.

PEW RESEARCH CENTER. Most Americans say the US immigration system needs big changes . 2025. Available at: https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2025/06/17/most-americans-say-the-us-immigration-system-needs-big-changes/ . Accessed on: July 13, 2025.

O GLOBO. US toughens immigration policy with new containment strategy in swamps . 2025. Available at: https://oglobo.globo.com/mundo/noticia/2025/07/eua-nova-prisao-imigracao-pantano.ghtml . Accessed on: July 13, 2025.