‘Inhumane’? Noem Defends ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ Amid Heated NBC Showdown
- Natalie Frank
- Jul 13
- 1 min read
Updated: Jul 16
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem battles NBC’s Kristen Welker in a tense on-air exchange over report that migrants faced brutal conditions at Florida’s new detention site
Natalie C. Frank, Ph.D July 13, 2025
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A confrontation occurred Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press” between Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and anchor Kristen Welker over disturbing allegations concerning the recently opened migrant detention center known as Alligator Alcatraz in Florida’s Everglades.
What led to the dispute were reports from Democratic lawmakers, including Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), who visited the facility Saturday. Schultz referred to the site as an “internment camp,” while other Democrats claimed migrants were forced into “wall-to-wall cages,” suffered through sweltering temperatures, endured unsanitary conditions, and even drank from the same sink used for bathroom purposes.
