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Trump Visits Controversial Migrant Detention Facility In Everglades; Everglades Detention Facility To Have 5,000 Beds Cost $450M Annually; Colin Allred Launches Texas Senate Run After 2024 Loss; Beto O'Rourke Doesn't Rule Out Running For Office; Democrats Eye North Carolina Senate As Chance To Flip Seat After GOP Sen. Thom Tillis Announces He Won't Seek Re-election; Trump Promotes New Fragrance Line "Victory 45-47" For $249. Aired 12:30-1p ET

Aired July 01, 2025 - 12:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[12:30:00]

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: -- and sits here in the Everglades, just 50 miles away from Trump's resort in Miami. Now, his visit to this facility comes as questions grow about the conditions that detainees and documented immigrants are facing at these sorts of facilities across the nation and internationally. As you can understand, this is raising the alarms with immigrant rights advocates who are questioning the sensibility of building an outdoor tent city in Florida in the middle of the summer during hurricane season.

I want to show you what's happening behind me, because it's not just immigrant rights who have a bone to pick with this project. We're seeing all sorts of different angles here from indigenous Americans who are saying, hey, our tribal lands neighbor this. We've been here for generation and generation and generation.

We're worried about the repercussions to our lands. Environmental groups also concerned about endangered species and the wetlands here, this fragile ecosystem, two of them, by the way, suing the DeSantis administration and the federal government. Now, we saw images from inside of the facility, the heavy duty tents and the repurposed FEMA trailers where they plan to house 5,000 detainees once it is completed.

DeSantis stress that this is necessary and temporary. Necessary because of the influx of migrants all over jails due to the crackdowns on immigration. He thinks that they need to house these people here to help relieve that overburden on jails. They're also saying that they're not going to spend that much on security because the pythons and the gators here in the Everglades are going to do the job.

Listen to what else Trump had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's known as Alligator Alcatraz, which is very appropriate because I looked outside and that's not a place I want to go hiking anytime soon. But very soon, this facility will have some of the most menacing migrants, some of the most vicious people on the planet.

We're surrounded by miles of treacherous swampland. And the only way out is really deportation. And a lot of these people are self- deporting back to their country.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

ROSALES: Now, as to the cost, a senior DHS official tells CNN that it's going to cost $245 dollars per bed per day. So this is roughly $450 million a year to run Alligator Alcatraz. DeSantis says the federal government is paying for it. Dana?

DANA BASH, CNN ANCHOR: OK, thank you so much, Isabel. Appreciate that reporting.

And here back at the table, Priscilla, what else are you hearing from your sources about this, generally speaking, but also the speed with which they came up with this idea? We heard Kristi Noem earlier talking about the fact that the federal government was talking about ways to put out bids. And then they just said, well, let's just ask the governors to figure it out. And that Florida came to them with this idea.

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, coming into the Trump administration, there was a lot of discussion among incoming officials who are now officials that they were going to lean on their allies across the country. The governors that were willing to work with them. That was true with Texas Governor Greg Abbott. It's also true with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, among some other red state governors.

They see that as an opportunity to make up for their own shortfalls and their own with federal resources. But this trip, Dana, really achieves three things for this administration. One, it gives the president the political backdrop he seeks, which is showcasing his immigration hardline policies.

The second is that they are in desperate need for detention beds. That is why the vice president was tweeting about the need for these funds in this bill, because they are well overcapacitated. They're funded for around 41,000 beds while they're running at 57,000 right now. These detention sites are just not prepared for the number of arrests that they're trying to meet every day.

And the third is something that you've heard the president talk about repeatedly today. It's self-deportation. Make it so difficult for immigrants in the United States that they will choose to leave on their own.

BASH: And it's happening.

ALVAREZ: And it is happening. And the reason it's happening is because the people that I've spoken with, they want to take control of their own future. It's not just that they will be detained and go through a process, it's that they could be detained and sent somewhere else and they don't know where that is. So the self-deportation is perhaps something that isn't talked about a lot, but it is actually critical to the administration's agenda, because if you want to reach 1 million deportations a year, you're not necessarily going to get there, or you're likely not going to get there with your own federal planes. It's also going to be people deciding to leave on their own.

BASH: I want to read something that our colleague Stephen Collinson wrote this morning because it really does help with the sort of big picture, not just policy, but politics and imagery. "The symbolism of the leader of the world's most important democracy, who idolizes foreign dictators, enthusing over a detention camp may stir dark historic echoes. But that's not worrying the White House. It loves the optics and is evoking cartoonish imagery of a draconian outpost in a wilderness patrolled by razor-toothed reptiles and venomous snakes."

[12:35:11]

I mean, what I hear about this Alligator Alcatraz, I think it's like medieval times. It's like -- almost like a moat, except you're not protecting a castle, you're putting people in who, you know, they believe are dangerous and as you said, they want to prove a point.

AYESHA RASCOE, NPR HOST, "WEEKEND EDITION SUNDAY" AND "UP FIRST": Well, that's the thing. The issue for this administration is, yes, their immigration policy is popular when you're talking about putting away really bad people who do really bad things. But what their immigration policy actually entails is not just putting away really bad people who do really bad things, it's just people who are here in the country and don't have their proper paperwork.

And so that's what this comes up against. And as I was saying earlier, when you get all of this money, it's not just going to be the mean guy who's scary that you see on the commercials. It's going to be like that person who cuts your lawn or that person that you know down the street or whatever, your friend, your kids' friends or whoever, who are going to be their parents who are going to be caught up and taken to these sorts of facilities.

And this is what I think most Americans are not prepared for. They're not prepared for it to touch their daily lives.

BASH: Can I just quickly ask, is that happening? Is that true? Because they claim that just, for example, with El Salvador, that the facility there, that it was criminals, we know that that wasn't entirely true. Are they at least saying that so-called criminals would be sent here first or are they being indiscriminate?

ALVAREZ: So we've obtained internal data as to who Immigration and Customs Enforcement is booking into their custody. Less than 10 percent in fiscal year 2025. So that captures some of the end of the Biden administration were convicted of serious crimes. 75 percent had no criminal conviction other than an immigration or traffic related offense. So that gives you an idea of the numbers there and who is, again, convicted. They are picking up criminals, but we are also seeing that they are picking up a lot of people without criminal records. And so far, the administration's record has been that they say that only menacing figures to use the president's words are going to Guantanamo Bay to CECOT in El Salvador. But what we have found in that is that many of those sent don't have criminal records.

So when they say that only those with criminal records are going to be an Alligator Alcatraz, it is hard -- I mean, it hasn't begun yet. But if their record goes to show anything, there will be people there without criminal records.

BASH: I just want to show the way that -- I mean, we've been talking about the imagery and the fact that, you know, that Donald Trump is a TV president and all that. But it's not just the president. It's also the White House using social media. The way that they are approaching this says a lot.

This is just a clip from the White House Instagram account.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

(MUSIC)

(END VIDEOCLIP)

BASH: I mean, it's pretty -- I mean, I want to say flip, but that doesn't do it justice. I want you to weigh in. But I want you to hear what the Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, said when she was asked about the idea of this video. And I think she specifically was asked about the band who sang that song, saying, don't use our music.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: We are unafraid to double down and to take responsibility and ownership of the serious decisions that are being made. The president was elected with an overwhelming mandate to launch the largest mass deportation campaign in American history. And that's exactly what he is doing. Because I think it sums up our immigration policy pretty well. You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: I mean, this is similar to the White House putting basically wanted signs on the North Lawn of the White House. We've seen over and over and over again. I think flip is a kind word, actually, to use on Instagram --

BASH: Yes.

ZELENY: -- for a very serious policy. But what all of this does and what the president is doing today and all of this sort of shock and awe of immigration does, it masks the fact that there is a deep debate inside the president's party and inside the White House about exactly who is allowed to be locked up. I mean, the president is getting a lot of pressure from the ag sector and the hospitality sector, many of whom are his Republican donors, as who is going to pick the tomatoes, as a Republican strategist said, as the Wisconsin governor said, who's going to milk the cows.

So the bottom line here is, of course, all of the people working these jobs are not undocumented workers. But it raises the big question. For all the bluster here, the president is hearing from a lot of voices, including his ag secretary, to go easy on some and offer exemptions for others.

[12:40:09]

So I don't think any of the semisonic lyrics, I think it's a semisonic.

BASH: Yes. Yes. I think that's --

ZELENY: We're of a certain age. I think that's right.

BASH: -- semisonic.

ZELENY: That does nothing to address the --

BASH: Yes.

ZELENY: -- fundamental human issues here that are going to face this country. If all this money is used in this bill, it's going to be extraordinary. But services will be interrupted and cut. And that -- it's a question. Did everyone vote for that or not? My guess is the Republicans I've talked to and others are uncomfortable by this. So we will see.

BASH: What are you hearing on the Hill?

OLIVIA BEAVERS, CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: I hear that from Republicans like Priscilla was talking about. When you are going after people who are not violent offenders, people who are criminals, it starts drawing a line for people. It's the people that are maybe having fruit shops or they know them at different retail shops in town, seeing these people being deported, and that's starting to create divisions within the party as they try to meet these quotas that Stephen Miller and others are pushing the White House to do.

I think they're trying to do 3,000 a day, and that is just creating a situation that the party is not fully comfortable with. And maybe we're going to be seeing some pushback growing if they continue.

RASCOE: And there are some economic costs, not just from the workers, but these are people in the country who are spending money and supporting our economy. So I talked to David Bier of the Cato Institute, and he talked about people don't think about the much bigger cost to the economy will be losing all of these people who spend money and boost businesses in these towns, rural towns all over the country. Those are the places that will suffer.

BASH: All right, everybody stand by. Don't go anywhere. A lot more to get to when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:46:27]

BASH: A tale as old as time. Well, modern times anyway. Democrats really want to turn Texas blue, and a former congressman thinks he's the man to do it again.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

COLIN ALLRED, FORMER CONGRESSMAN: Texans are working harder than ever, not getting as much time with their kids, missing those special moments, all to be able to afford less. The people that we elected to help, politicians like John Cornyn and Ken Paxton, are too corrupt to care about us and too weak to fight for us.

I'm Colin Allred, and today I'm announcing my candidacy for the United States Senate.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

BASH: Now a quick reminder, rewind to November, Colin Allred, who was a member of the House, also a former football player, he lost the Texas Senate race to Ted Cruz by about 9 percentage points. But the question is whether or not this time could be easier after what will likely be a bruising GOP primary, and it's not Ted Cruz on the ballot. It looks like it's John Cornyn running before the primary against some other Republicans.

My panel is back now. Olivia, you have covered these players in Congress, and in Texas recently, I mean, obviously, if you go back in time to LBJ and to what was the solid South for Democrats, it was always Democrats from Texas. But in modern times, since we've been covering politics, certainly --

BEAVERS: Right.

BASH: -- it's been red, and Democrats in recent years have been hoping that the demographic shifts have meant that it would be an easier sell for Democrats to win there statewide. It hasn't happened.

BEAVERS: It hasn't happened. That doesn't mean that they're going to stop trying. But I think that Democrats view this Senate race as a good opportunity, and it's because Republicans are divided. So Senator Cornyn, the incumbent, he's high up in Senate leadership. He is not polling particularly well against Ken Paxton.

But Ken Paxton's a pretty controversial figure, and I think that the Republicans I talk to largely think if Ken Paxton beats Cornyn in a primary, then Democrats will have a good shot at flipping that seat. So there's a lot of sort of calculations coming in about whether they can strike through the middle and win that seat, which means that also other Republicans are starting to kind of raise their hand nebulously in the background.

You have Wesley Hunt, a congressman in the House. You have Ronny Jackson, a close Trump ally as well, in addition to Hunt --

BASH: Former governor.

BEAVERS: Former White House doctor who is also seeming to be considering it, according to reports out there. So it could be a chance for them to get in.

BASH: So that's on the GOP side.

BEAVERS: Yes.

BASH: We just ran an official statement from Colin Allred. And then there is a nationally known figure who seems to be considering running again, and that is Beto O'Rourke. Listen to what he said on Monday.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

BETO O'ROURKE, FORMER UNITED STATES REPRESENTATIVE: Democrats took places like the Rio Grande Valley for granted and bit them on the ass. They totally rode off places like the High Plains or rural Texas. I may run for office if that continues this work of being helpful, of being useful. I just want to do what I can just to provide the greatest possible positive impact on this state in whatever capacity it is.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

BASH: So for those keeping score at home, you remember Beto O'Rourke, who was a member of the House of Representatives, ran for Senate, came close and, you know, certainly became kind of a hot commodity for Democrats nationwide. Then he ran for president. Then he ran for governor.

[12:50:02]

We were doing this during the break. I'm just reading what we were discussing. And then ran for Senate. And then the question is whether he'll do it again.

ZELENY: Look, I mean --

BASH: And, by the way, he didn't win any of those.

ZELENY: He did not. He served in the House. He's not wrong. The Democrats got there. He uses the word ass handed to them. That's true.

I mean, it's long been thought that if demographics are destiny for Democrats in places like that, but that's not the case anymore. If you look at places where President Trump and other Republicans did so well, it is in the exact area that Beto O'Rourke is talking about.

BASH: Yes.

ZELENY: Those are red areas now. So that's why Republicans feel much more confident about Texas than Karl Rove used to two decades ago. He always talked about at the end of the Bush era. You know, is Texas going to turn blue? It hasn't. That's not saying it can't because of some policies.

So what's happening on the Hill right now, that will affect the race next year. These immigration policies will affect the race next year. I still find it very hard to believe that a Democrat can win statewide in Texas.

BASH: Can I just add some data to that great point that you made that Melissa DePalo, our producer, found? And that is the shift in the way that counties voted from 2020 to 2024. This is just four years. 2,630 shifted more Republican and only 301 shifted more Democratic. You see that there.

So that really --

ZELENY: And if you look at the map, bright red in places where it used to be blue along southern Texas.

BASH: Exactly (ph).

ALVAREZ: And if you get more granular, it's Latinos that have been moving more --

ZELENY: Exactly.

ALVAREZ: -- toward Donald Trump. This was one of the issues for Vice President -- former Vice President Kamala Harris's campaign is she was trying to attract them and they were leaning toward the former president or the president now.

BASH: And let's quickly look at North Carolina, because the big news on Sunday was that Thom Tillis, the Republican incumbent, said he won't run again. That means that there's more of a feeling among Democrats that maybe they can take that seat back. The former governor, Roy Cooper, is considering voting.

I got a statement saying that Governor Cooper continues to strongly consider a run for the Senate and will decide in the coming weeks. That was first reported by Axios.

RASCOE: Yes, I mean, North Carolina, unlike Texas, actually, you know, has had statewide Democrats -- excuse me. And so I think that is a possible pickup. I mean, it won't be easy. Like, I mean, we saw that North Carolina strongly went for Trump in the last election --

BASH: We can put up the results as you speak.

RASCOE: Yes, yes, yes. So it strongly went for Trump last election. But it is a more purplish state in some respects. And so that is something that could be a pickup, but it will be a tough race.

ZELENY: And even if so, even if Democrats happen to pick up North Carolina, there are two other states out there that need to win. That's Iowa and Ohio, both deep red. Not impossible, but that explains how uphill the climate is for Democrats to win back the Senate.

BASH: The map is very tough for Democrats again this election year in the Senate.

Don't go anywhere. Up next, eau-de-grift. We'll tell you about a new fragrance line from the commander in merch.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:57:45]

BASH: President Trump is forever and always a businessman, even while holding the biggest job in the world, he makes time to push new merch. Last night he posted on Truth Social, quote, "Trump fragrances are here. They're called Victory 45-47, because they're all about winning, strength, and success."

These statue like bottles come with a steep price tag, $249 for 3.3 ounces. Now, just for context, that's significantly more expensive than the same size fragrance from designers like Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent. It's just one of multiple products the president has been promoting.

There is also that 45 guitar. It comes with a Trump signature for $10,000. Gold sneakers for just under $500 and the Trump watch line. Some versions of those watches are priced at $100 a pop. During the campaign, the then candidate tried to make America pray again by selling Bibles.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

TRUMP: You all should get a copy of God Bless The USA Bible now and help spread our Christian values with others.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

BASH: He also unveiled new series of Trump digital trading cards.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

TRUMP: It's really something. These cards show me dancing and even me holding some bitcoins.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

BASH: And then there were other coins.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

TRUMP: Trump coins are designed by me and minted right here in the USA.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

BASH: While the president's financial stake in some of these products is unclear, this kind of talking was once unheard of for a presidential candidate, let alone a commander in chief. Not anymore.

Panel is back. Ayesha? RASCOE: Well, I mean, I'm very concerned about him selling Bibles and also selling like a golden image of himself, that graven image, you know, I'm saying, like, I think there's a conflict there. So, but, you know, I mean, at the end of the day, we've come a long way from when we were worried about emoluments and whether foreign people would be staying at the Trump Hotel. That's what I will say.

ZELENY: This is definitely not the last product we've seen. We're only right now at the halftime mark of the year. So think of all the other products that he will sell, three and a half years to do it.

Look, this is something that Donald Trump has done since long before he was president. Vodka, Trump steak, so many things. So it's clearly just keeping on that tradition. But boy, we have never heard of it before. But now, it just seems normal.

BASH: Except it's not.

ZELENY: Except it's not.

BASH: Which is why we want to make sure not to lose sight of it. Before we go, we do want you to submit your questions about Capitol Hill, about the White House, about politics around the country. Scan the QR code. You see it there at the bottom of your screen. Send us your question. And our political panel will try to answer it right here on the show. You can also find the link on my social media pages.

Thanks so much for joining Inside Politics. CNN News Central starts right now.