Florida's 'Alligator Alcatraz' sparks debate over detention, deportation and moral responsibility

FLORIDA — There is a debate over the opening of Florida's immigration detention facility in South Florida known as Alligator Alcatraz.

President Donald Trump and other top GOP officials toured the center in the Everglades on Tuesday morning.

People in favor said this will help remove the violent immigrants and criminals who came during the open borders of the previous administration. Meanwhile, some faith leaders are saying this is “morally wrong.”

WATCH: Florida's 'Alligator Alcatraz' sparks debate over detention, deportation, and moral responsibility

Alligator Alcatraz is a migrant detention center made up of sharp fencing surrounded by swampy lands and gators.

"It will keep people where they are supposed to be," said Trump to reporters upon his arrival at the facility. "I looked outside and it’s not a place I want to go hiking anytime soon."

While touring the facility, Trump praised DeSantis for completing the project in eight days, saying this is going to help relieve overcrowding and fast-track deportations.

"Very soon, this facility will house some of the menacing migrants, some of the most vicious people on the planet," said Trump.

"Our goal here is to process them and be able to effectuate them to their home country," said Governor Ron DeSantis.

This 450-million-dollar-a-year facility was built on an old airstrip that now houses air-conditioned tents filled with beds and trailers. It's a space that federal leaders said was built to meet ICE safety standards.

There are 3,000 beds at Alligator Alcatraz, and 2,000 beds will be at the Camp Blanding location in South Florida.

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Noem said this is a win-win for everyone, saying when people enter this facility, they will have the option to self-deport.

"If you decide you want to go home now, go home," said Noem. "And we’ll help facilitate it, we’ll buy your plane ticket, we'll get you there. In fact, I just got back from Panama, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras - those countries are excited to get their citizens home. They're setting up programs to loan them money to buy houses, to help them with food assistance, to get their children educated, scholarships. They want their citizens that are living here in the United States illegally to come home and to be a part of their economy and help their countries grow."

While this may be true, it’s being met with frustration and anxiety by faith leaders and churchgoers across Florida.

"We are disheartened," said Reverend Dr. Gabriel Salguero.

Reverend Dr. Salguero is the president of the National Latino Evangelical Coalition and a pastor of the Gathering Place in Florida.

"We support the detention and deportation of violent criminals, but this indiscriminate action that's targeting families is a descent to moral cruelty, and we will not be silent about that," said Dr. Salguero.

He said he is receiving text messages from people who are worried about losing their parole or temporary protected status.

"We are already seeing that people who are trying to be legal are being detained and deported," said Dr. Salguero. "There is a deep concern that they are going to be taken to facilities like Alligator Alcatraz without due process."

For Dr. Salguero, this is a bipartisan issue. He said he will continue to serve the immigrant community, but his parishioners are fearful about going to church or receiving care at hospitals. Dr. Salguero said they are particularly concerned about the deputizing of law enforcement, which could lead to racial profiling

"People go to churches to worship, hospitals to receive care, to schools to receive an education, and overwhelmingly these people are trying to get their status right or are mixed status families," said Dr. Salguero. "And so, this descent into moral cruelty is not just deeply offensive, it's bad practice."

During Tuesday's press conference, DeSantis said we could start seeing detainees moving into this facility as early as this week. And he said this is just the beginning of the facilities people can expect to see across the state.