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'Alligator Alcatraz' Cost Taxpayers More, Federal Report Says
The report said the site cost $249 per detainee daily, about 171% more than ICE’s standard detention rate.
- A Government Accountability Office report found ICE operated an unauthorized Florida detention facility, dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz," without a formal contract or agreement authorizing its use.
- The facility's reimbursement rate was $249 per detainee per day, about 171% more expensive than ICE's $92 median cost. FEMA reimbursed Florida through the Detention Support Grant Programme, developed with ICE to expand detention capacity.
- Inspectors found housing units provided about 28 square feet per detainee, falling short of the 75 square feet required under Florida Model Jail Standards. The facility closed in June 2026 after operating for about a year.
- Florida Division of Emergency Management official Stephanie Hartman dismissed the findings, stating, "Nobody takes the GAO seriously," while arguing illegal immigration costs American taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars annually.
- Broader federal investigations indicate ICE expanded detention capacity without sufficient planning, creating potential for waste. The agency must develop a comprehensive strategic plan for detention expansion by August 31, 2027.
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'Nobody Takes the GAO Seriously': Florida Official Dismisses Report on Alligator Alcatraz Funding
A federal watchdog has found that Florida's now-closed Alligator Alcatraz detention centre carried a bed rate of $249 (£187.24) per detainee per day, about 171 per cent higher than Immigration and Customs Enforcement's median rate of $92 (£69.18) in fiscal year 2026. The Government Accountability Office said ICE did not instruct Florida to open the Florida Soft-Sided Facility and did not enter into a contract or agreement authorising its operati…
·United Kingdom
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Miami Herald+2 Reposted by 2 other sources
ICE wasted taxpayer money on Alligator Alcatraz with no contract, report finds
·Miami, United States
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'Alligator Alcatraz' cost taxpayers more, federal report says
FILE — The entrance to the state-managed immigration detention center dubbed Alligator Alcatraz, located at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport in the Florida Everglades, on Aug. 3, 2025, in Ochopee, Florida.
·Miramar, United States
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Total News Sources6
Leaning Left5Leaning Right0Center1Last UpdatedBias Distribution83% Left
Bias Distribution
- 83% of the sources lean Left
83% Left
L 83%
C 17%
Factuality
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