The Trump administration recently launched “Alligator Alcatraz,” a migrant detention center based in Florida whose name references the region’s native population of scaly reptilians. Americans have been left with little to do about the situation other than react with horror and amazement or, in the case of one TikToker, a desire to spin the dystopian situation into comedy gold.
Lisandra Vazquez, a TikTok comedian with nearly a million followers, recently decided to troll the president’s supporters by creating a website that appears to be a company offering guided tours of the draconian prison but, in reality, offers information about how to donate to progressive organizations like Planned Parenthood, Climate Power, and World Central Kitchen, a non-profit that provides food relief.
Vazquez launched a website, dubbed Terri’s Tourz, that, upon first glance, appears to be a tour guide company marketed to the MAGA crowd. “Making America Great, One Tour at a Time,” the site states. The site features what is obviously an AI-generated image of a folksy-looking white woman (who, the website visitor might safely assume, is Terri). However, when site visitors click on hyperlinks embedded in the site’s homepage (they offer options like “VIP Tour” and “Basic Tours”), they are simply directed to pictures of Donald Trump hanging out with Jeffrey Epstein.
Another page on the site offers visitors links to several liberal non-profits, with the note: “If you can’t donate money to these organizations, maybe you can volunteer time? If not time, then maybe sharing their pages? Often, just resharing posts from an organization can have a butterfly effect.”
A disclosure on the website clearly notes: “TerrisTourz.com is a satirical website created for entertainment purposes only. All characters, events, and scenarios—though occasionally inspired by real-life individuals or public commentary—are entirely fictional and exaggerated for comedic effect.” A different disclaimer encourages the visitor to “proceed with laughter.”
The real Alligator Alcatraz has been accused of holding detainees in inhumane conditions, without access to adequate food and water, CBS has reported. The facility was built by federal authorities over the course of only several days at a municipal airport in the Everglades, some 50 miles west of Miami. According to reports, the prison is also said to be plagued by giant bugs and non-functioning toilets. There is no evidence that alligators are actually being used as security guards, though Florida governor Ron DeSantis recently said, of the building: “Clearly from a security perspective, if someone escapes, there’s a lot of alligators you’re going to have to contend (with)…No one is going anywhere once you do that. It’s as safe and secure as you can be.”
