Since Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced plans to build an immigration detention center in the middle of the Everglades, he has repeatedly said it would be temporary.

• But during a press event Tuesday to mark the facility’s opening, President Trump suggested that “Alligator Alcatraz” could be around “for a long time.”

Why it matters: Plans for a temporary facility sparked swift backlash and concern from conservation groups, residents and Miami-Dade County officials, who cautioned against the lasting environmental impacts on a stretch of wilderness that’s vital to the state’s ecosystem.

• In a letter to state officials, Miami Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said the impacts “could be devastating.”

Driving the news: Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday the facility would be ready to receive people as soon as Wednesday. And Trump said he’d like to see similar facilities constructed “in many states.”

What they’re saying: “The incredible thing is picking the site […] it might be as good as the real Alcatraz, so I really think it could last for as long as they want to have it. You could morph this into the prison system.”

• “[It’s] not that far away from jails that take years to build,” he added.

Catch up quick: Last month, Uthmeier proposed building the temporary detention center to support the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.

• In a video posted to social media, he suggested the 30-square-mile airstrip in the middle of the Everglades, calling it “a unique opportunity for a low-cost detention facility.”
• Despite opposition, the DeSantis administration seized the land, which is owned by Miami-Dade County, and began building.

Zoom in: The facility has 3,000 beds, with the space to fit more, officials said, and a staff village for up to 1,000 people.

• It has air conditioning, is equipped to handle Category 2 hurricane winds and has local fire and health professionals on site.

Friction point: Environmental groups, some of which have sued the state, say the center will generate sewage, use water and create light pollution that will harm the habitat and endangered species, including the Florida panther.

The other side: On Tuesday, Trump dismissed environmental concerns, saying the land “is still going to be here” in the coming years.

• “It’s not like you’re dropping dirt; this was already here. I don’t think you’ve done anything to the Everglades.”
• DeSantis echoed Trump, arguing the project has plans to export waste and that “there’s zero land being disturbed.”

Flashback: The land the detention center now occupies was once intended to be the Everglades Jetport.

• But plans for the project were scrapped after a study of the potential impacts showed catastrophic impacts to the ecosystem.