Florida's 'Alligator Alcatraz' immigration detention center could close in June, per reports

The immigration detention center known as “Alligator Alcatraz,” located in the Florida Everglades, will close its doors in June, CBS News Miami reported, citing four sources familiar with the decision.

The companies contracted by the state of Florida to operate the facilities were notified Tuesday of the closure, while authorities plan to move the approximately 1,400 remaining detainees to other facilities or proceed with their deportations over the next few weeks.

"They said the last detainee will leave in June," said one of the sources consulted.

The decision comes amid rising operating costs at the center, whose total expense is already approaching $1 billion, according to estimates cited by CBS Miami.

DeSantis anticipated shutdown

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis had recently previewed that he expected the upcoming closure of the facility.

"If we shut the lights out tomorrow, we will be able to say it served its purpose," he said last week during a press conference.

The announcement made to suppliers represents the first formal acknowledgment of the closure and the rapid decommissioning planned for the complex.

Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) officials communicated the decision directly to the operating companies. Although the agency's director, Kevin Guthrie, did not respond to requests for comment, FDEM spokeswoman Stephanie Hartman confirmed the temporary nature of the facility.

"As Governor DeSantis stated last week, the South Florida detention facility was always intended to serve as a temporary facility to support ongoing illegal immigration enforcement and detention operations," Hartman said in a statement sent to CBS News.

Everglades takedown

Once the detainees are transferred, the state will begin the complete dismantling of the infrastructure installed in the Everglades area. The process will include the removal of fences, trailers and temporary structures built at the site.

According to sources, the dismantling work could take two to three weeks. Subsequently, the area will return to function as a small airport intended for pilot training.

A costly and controversial project

“Alligator Alcatraz” officially opened on July 3, 2025 as an initiative promoted by the DeSantis administration and initially financed with state funds.

The governor repeatedly assured that the federal government would reimburse the entire cost. Late last year, Florida submitted a reimbursement request for $608 million, subsequently approved by federal authorities.

However, the payment has faced delays due to litigation, environmental challenges and other administrative hurdles.

Sources cited by CBS Miami contend that the state also accumulated an additional $300 million in operating costs subsequent to the initial request, with no guarantee that Washington will cover that difference.

"Every day that it stays open, it is state taxpayers who will be paying the cost," one of the sources claimed. Another person familiar with the contracts indicated that the state is still negotiating with the federal government to try to recoup the full amount of funds invested.

Criticism of the center's conditions

The center came under heavy criticism from human rights organizations and Democratic lawmakers.

U.S. Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost, a leading critic of the project, previously called the facility "inhumane" and compared the complex to an "internment camp."

"Floridians deserve accountability for every dollar wasted and every abuse that took place behind those doors" Frost said Tuesday.

The congressman further asserted that he personally monitored conditions inside the facility since its opening and welcomed the closure announcement.

"Now, after wasting millions in taxpayer dollars and facing ongoing environmental lawsuits, this failed experiment in human suffering is finally closing," he said.