Tom Homan Flips the Script on Cuomo’s ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ Gotcha Question [WATCH]

Border Czar Tom Homan defended the cost of President Donald Trump’s new migrant detention facility in Florida during an interview Tuesday with Chris Cuomo on NewsNation, citing significantly higher taxpayer expenses under the Biden administration’s handling of illegal immigration.

President Trump visited the facility, nicknamed “Alligator Alcatraz,” on Tuesday alongside officials from his administration.

The complex, located in southern Florida, is expected to cost $450 million and hold up to 5,000 illegal migrants and other foreign nationals.

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Cuomo questioned Homan about Democratic criticism of the facility’s price tag. In response, Homan drew comparisons to the Biden-Harris administration’s approach, particularly its use of hotels to house migrants in major cities.

“Well, let’s compare it to the last administration, OK? They’re putting illegal aliens in hotel rooms in New York City for like 500 bucks a night. That’s a fact,” Homan said.

“Five hundred dollars per alien, per night for a hotel room. Then they had to pay for food, three meals a day. They had to pay for medical care. They had to pay for attorney access. All these other things were added to that 500 bucks a night. So who knows what the cost was, really. I don’t have that number.”

Throughout Joe Biden’s term, millions of illegal migrants entered the United States, triggering what federal and local officials labeled a border crisis.

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To address the strain on states and municipalities, the Biden-Harris administration distributed significant federal funds.

In August 2024, the Department of Homeland Security approved more than $380 million through FEMA’s Shelter and Services Program (SSP).

That followed another $260 million in SSP grants issued in April 2024 and over $780 million distributed in 2023 through SSP and the Emergency Food and Shelter Program.

Homan, who previously served as acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, emphasized that the Florida facility offers a more cost-effective solution by providing centralized medical, legal, and logistical support.

“I can tell you the beds here are just under 300, is what I was briefed on. That includes three meals a day, full medical doctors and nurses on site,” Homan said.

“So you got food, you got medical. What’s great about this facility is there’s an airstrip right there. So we can also have additional efficiencies on transportation because we have air transport in Arizona. We got in Texas. We got in Louisiana. Having an airstrip in Florida, we have all the East Coast states staging in Florida instead of having numerous, sending some to Louisiana, sending some on to Arizona for a removal of Central America or to Asia.”

Major cities across the country, particularly those with sanctuary policies, saw increased financial burdens as they absorbed migrants released into communities.

New York City spent $1.45 billion on migrant-related costs in fiscal year 2023.

By the following year, Democrat Mayor Eric Adams moved to cut back the city’s migrant services, citing a $12 billion deficit.

Homan explained how the new facility’s on-site infrastructure, including its airstrip, will streamline deportation logistics and reduce costs associated with transportation.

“Now we have an airstrip right there in Florida, which not only benefits that facility, because we’re going to have immigration hearings also at that facility in Florida,” Homan said.

“Which means when they get already deported, and we get a planeload, we can simply load a plane right there and take them to their home country.”

“So it’s actually a cost savings on the beds compared to [the] last administration. It’s an extreme cost savings on transportation because you got an airstrip right there that can serve the entire East Coast,” he added.

Since President Trump returned to office, his administration has prioritized immigration enforcement and mass deportations.

According to ICE data, officials have conducted more than 20,000 arrests in the 2025 fiscal year so far.

The new Florida facility is expected to further support that enforcement infrastructure by expanding detention capacity and improving processing speed for removals.