Florida plans to close 'Alligator Alcatraz' migrant detention center, New York Times reports
Officials say escalating costs and uncertain federal reimbursement are driving the closure, with nearly $1 billion in operating expenses and 1,400 detainees to be moved.
- Florida is closing the 'Alligator Alcatraz' detention center in the Everglades, with officials notifying vendors on Tuesday that 1,400 detainees will be removed by the start of June.
- Governor Ron DeSantis launched the facility on July 3, 2025, as a temporary immigration enforcement tool, though it faced mounting legal challenges and escalating operational costs over the past year.
- Operating costs have reached nearly $1 billion, with the state spending more than $1 million daily to manage the center while awaiting $608 million in federal reimbursements.
- Contractors received orders to begin demobilization in the coming weeks, a process that includes taking down fences and trailers once the final detainees are transferred or deported.
- Though the site will return to normal airport operations, the state faces potential financial shortfalls, as the federal government has not yet covered the subsequent $300 million in additional costs.
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35 Articles
Florida plans to close ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ migrant detention center
MIAMI — Florida intends to shut down a high-profile immigration detention center that it opened last summer in the Everglades, according to a federal official and three people familiar with the facility’s operations. The post Florida plans to close ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ migrant detention center appeared first on Hawaii Tribune-Herald.
The U.S. deportation center in Florida's swamp area, which is also called "Alligator Alcatraz", is likely to be closed. Resistance to the facility has always been great, but now the costs are likely to speak against the continuation of the operation. Official staff had informed contractors on the ground on Tuesday afternoon that the detention centre would be closed in the Everglades, the "New York Times" reported. Similar reports were also repor…
According to media reports, the deportation center "Alligator Alcatraz" in the Everglades is to be closed. It is unclear where the approximately 1,400 detainees are transferred.
According to media reports, the deportation center known as "Alligator Alcatraz" in Florida is about to close. Since the opening, protests and court proceedings have taken place around the controversial location.
It was only last summer that US President Trump opened a detention facility in the middle of Florida's swamp area personally. Since then, there has been resistance to it.
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