President Trump on Tuesday suggested would-be escapees from Florida’s new “Alligator Alcatraz” migrant detention facility to zigzag when attempting to evade reptilian predators lurking within the Everglades.
“Don’t run in a straight line; run like this,” the president mentioned to reporters, waving his hand from side-to-side, earlier than he left the White Home for Florida on Tuesday.
“You know what, your chances go up by 1 percent. Not a good thing,” he added.
Trump is touring the distant facility, which was constructed by means of a partnership with state and federal sources to bolster the president’s immigration crackdown, with Homeland Safety Secretary Kristi Noem and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R). The soft-sided models outfitted with chain-link cells have been constructed to accommodate tons of of detainees.
In a video first coining the location “Alligator Alcatraz,” Florida Legal professional Common James Uthmeier (R), who joined Trump for Tuesday’s tour, highlighted its distant location as a bonus.
“People get out, there’s not much waiting for them other than alligators and pythons — nowhere to go, nowhere to hide,” he mentioned in a video shared on social platform X final month.
Trump equally remarked in regards to the far-flung location throughout a public occasion throughout his journey there.
“It’s known as ‘Alligator Alcatraz,’ which is very appropriate, because I looked outside and it’s not a place I want to go hiking anytime soon,” he mentioned. “We’re surrounded by miles of treacherous swampland and the only way out is, really, deportation.”
Wildlife specialists largely dismiss the zigzagging recommendation when encountering a gator, although.
“A prevalent myth suggests that alligators can outrun humans over short distances or that zigzagging can confuse them,” Subject & Stream journal famous in a survival information revealed in 2023. “However, the reality is that running in a straight line away from the threat is your safest bet.”
“An alligator’s primary advantage is not its speed on land but its agility and prowess in the water,” the article added.
