Axios: The Racist Myth Behind Alligator Alcatraz

Axios reports:

Key to the marketing ploy underpinning Florida’s detention camp in the Everglades is the alligator, portrayed by Republican leaders as a blood-thirsty prison guard ready to attack anyone who escapes. Nothing about the portrayal is accurate, experts in alligator biology and history tell Axios. What’s more, the idea of the alligator lusting for human flesh is rooted in racism, dating back to Jim Crow, when tourists could buy postcards illustrating Black children as “gator bait.”

Florida’s reptilian mascot isn’t just in the nickname-turned-official name of the detention center. It’s central to the premise. AI-generated memes depicting alligators in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement hats, as well as merchandise, followed soon after. The myth has persisted for centuries — including after Emancipation, when the false, racist belief that alligators liked the taste of Black flesh proliferated in the South.

Read the full article. Fascinating piece. Hit the link for a sample postcard. The tweet below has been shared by DeSantis’s spokesperson.

Remember when Mayor Pete called bridges “racist?” Here we go again. Now the looney left declares alligators are racist, too. Who knew? 🤣 Alligator Alcatraz leans on myth steeped in racism – Axios Tampa Bay https://t.co/s7YJSFgYvM

— Mike Gallagher Show (@GallagherShow) July 21, 2025