Proving once again that no low is too low, the Republican Party is actively fundraising off MAGA Republican President Donald Trump's and Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis' joint project to create a migrant concentration camp in the Florida Everglades on unceded Indigenous land.
Distastefully dubbed Alligator Alcatraz—a take on the nearby Miccosukee Tribal Nation reservation Alligator Alley—by the Trump administration, the name has proven popular among Trump's MAGA minions, with his fans flocking to the site for photos with its sign.
Recognizing a chance to make money, the Florida GOP began selling t-shirts, hats, and can cozies emblazoned with the name.
Florida GOP Chair Evan Power told WPTV News on July 1:
"I think we're over $50,000 on the first couple of days on this."
"We've sold thousands of shirts, thousands of hats, and thousands of cozies since then."
He added:
"It fires up our voters because they're just tired of the Biden Administration prioritizing illegals over residents of Florida and residents of the United States of America."
Not wanting to miss out on the opportunity to make money off the suffering of others, the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC)—a national group "devoted to increasing the number of Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives"—sent out a fundraising email.
It reads:
"That’s right! Alligator Alcatraz is officially open, and we are excited about it!!"
"So excited that we have decided to release a T-SHIRT!"
You can see the email here:
National Republican Congressional Committee
The t-shirt features the slogan "ICE with a bite," making light of the notion that alligators are there to maul and ultimately eat migrants who dare try to escape the facility.
This also maligns the largest reptile in North America, which only bounced back from near extinction due to education and concerted conservation efforts.
The American Alligator is far less aggressive than crocodiles. They typically avoid humans, and when they see one, are more likely to walk, run or swim away than attack unless they are nesting or protecting their young.
Unprovoked alligator attacks are very rare, and fatal attacks on humans average only one per year.
The email continues:
"Do you support keeping our nation safe from ILLEGAL CRIMINALS? Well, this is your chance to show support for ICE in their mission! Let’s make sure we keep our cities SAFE from criminal illegal aliens."
The merchandise is also featured on the NRCC website alongside Gulf of America-themed products.
National Republican Congressional Committee website
They're also promoting the shirts on social media.
While MAGA loves all things Trump and they are willing to throw money at the latest merch, others are calling it out as tasteless.
Imprisoning immigrants abducted by Department of Homeland Security head Kristi Noem's Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on the fragile ecosystem of the Everglades, near sacred sites to both the Seminole and Miccosukee Tribal Nations that have called the Everglades home for millennia, has brought pushback from Democrats, environmentalists, and Indigenous leaders.
The site was once slated to become the largest airport in the United States, but the project was abandoned after just one runway was completed when it became clear building anything on a large scale in the Everglades was idiotic.
In addition to being an environmental disaster waiting to happen, natural disasters like flooding and hurricanes were likely to wipe the airport off the map in short order.
Environmental groups have filed suit to try to block operations at the site.
