On July 6, 2025, Chris Barrera, Sr., was seen with an American flag at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport showing support for a newly built detention center. Accompanying him was a friend holding a sign that read, "Welcome to Paradise. Don't feed the animals." Political figures are using alligator-themed merchandise to fundraise amid jokes about immigrant detainees. The ACLU Florida Executive Director emphasized that such mocking tropes echo historical dehumanization, noting that similar language was used to demean Black individuals, reflecting troubling patterns of insensitivity.
The 'gators, in this case, are the good guys. The folks inside the detention center, no matter their story or status, are tempting treats for Florida's newly deputized reptilian law enforcement.
The mocking of immigrant detainees harks back to 'the worst parts of our history' when similar jokes and tropes, such as 'gator bait,' were used to dehumanize Black people and desensitize people to the harm and violence inflicted upon them.
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