GEOFF BENNETT: As Republicans try to push through their big bill that would inject billions of dollars into President Trump's deportation campaign, the president today visited a new detention center in Florida.

The facility, dubbed Alligator Alcatraz by local officials, is located at an airport in the Florida Everglades and is set to hold up to 5,000 beds.

DONALD TRUMP, President of the United States: We have a lot of bodyguards and a lot of cops that are in the form of alligators.

You don't have to pay them so much.

(LAUGHTER) DONALD TRUMP: But I wouldn't want to run through the Everglades for long.

We will keep people where they're supposed to be.

This is a very important thing.

GEOFF BENNETT: Our White House correspondent, Laura Barron-Lopez, joins us now with the latest.

So, Laura, what should we know about this new facility?

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: So, this facility is located in the Florida Everglades on an isolated 39-mile airstrip.

Now, people detained there will be in tents to start, with plans for a more permanent structure to be constructed later on.

Now, a DHS official told us that they will immediately start holding some 500 to 1,000 beds.

And as early as this month, they are trying to hold some 5,000 beds there.

The operational cost is expected to be about $450 million for a single year, with the state of Florida paying that up front and then being reimbursed by FEMA and Homeland Security.

Now, environmental groups have already sued the administration to try to halt construction.

But the president again today floated the idea that he wants more facilities like this.

He wants to open the original Alcatraz to detain people, saying in a social media post that he's looking to rebuild Alcatraz prison "sitting high on the bay surrounded by sharks.

What a symbol that could be."

GEOFF BENNETT: And the administration is pushing other states to follow suit to open facilities similar to this one?

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: That's right.

They are pushing other facilities.

The president said it, other states to open facilities like this.

The president repeatedly said it.

Even Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida encouraged other states to follow them.

As to why they're opening a facility like this, the administration, much of the deportation campaign, the president's deportation campaign has been about optics, about intimidation, about pressuring undocumented migrants to self-deport, something that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said today.

Also, Florida GOP, the party, is selling Alligator Alcatraz merchandise, pushing this.

White House officials have repeatedly highlighted the dangerous wildlife around this facility, saying that they think that it could act as a deterrence.

I spoke to Ira Kurzban -- he's a longtime immigration attorney -- based in Florida today, and he said that he thinks this facility is less about containing violent criminals and more about dehumanizing immigrants.

IRA KURZBAN, Immigration Attorney: It's an effort to dehumanize people, period, because a lot of these people aren't undocumented.

For example, Haitians who had been here and in many cases for years and years on TPS all of a sudden are losing that TPS.

They're going from legal status to -- quote -- "illegal status."

And remember that.

It's not a crime to be in the United States.

You may be subject to deportation, but it's a civil offense.

So what they want to do is ramp up civil detention of people.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Temporary protected status, that's that TPS that Ira is talking about.

Now, that has been stripped from Haitians and other immigrants.

And hundreds of thousands of immigrants have actually lost some form of legal status due to the Trump administration's efforts.

GEOFF BENNETT: And, Laura, I know you're also tracking the case involving Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the man who was mistakenly deported initially to El Salvador.

Tell us about that and what his case says about the Trump administration's overall deportation agenda.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: So there are some contradictions happening right now with the Trump administration's agenda.

They have said repeatedly that they are seeking out violent criminals, public safety threats, and they have been zealously pursuing their prosecution of Abrego Garcia after bringing him back from El Salvador.

But as they have been pursuing that, in their case against Garcia, recent court documents and reporting show that the Trump administration has agreed to release a three-time felon from prison and agreed to not to deport him for at least a year in exchange for cooperation and in exchange for testimony against Kilmar Abrego Garcia.

And also, over the last few months, the Trump administration has worked to drop cases against MS-13 gang leaders while they have been pursuing their case against Abrego Garcia.

Now, currently, Garcia is still in federal custody at the request of his lawyers because they're concerned that, if he's released, the administration may pursue quick deportation proceedings.

GEOFF BENNETT: And one last thing about the president's trip to Florida today.

We heard him step up his threats to denaturalize his perceived political opponents.

What more did he say?

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Today, the president raised this two times during his trip to Florida, saying that he's open to denaturalization investigations into both billionaire Elon Musk, as well as New York City Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani.

And he was asked what he would do if Mamdani is actually elected and decides to not cooperate with ICE arresting undocumented immigrants.

And this is what the president had to say.

DONALD TRUMP: Well, then we will have to arrest him.

Look, we don't need a communist in this country, but if we have one, I'm going to be watching over him very carefully on behalf of the nation.

And a lot of people saying he's here illegally, he's -- we're going to look at everything.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: This comes also as the Justice Department made public this week that they are intending to prioritize denaturalization investigations into a number of immigrants -- Geoff.

GEOFF BENNETT: Laura Barron-Lopez.

Laura, thank you.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Thank you.