'Alligator Alcatraz,' the controversial immigration detention center in Florida, closes
The facility was built in just eight days in June 2025 on a former airfield in the Everglades, featuring tents, bunk beds, and barbed-wire fences.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks during a press conference
The immigration detention center known as “Alligator Alcatraz” or “Alcatraz of the Alligators,” located in the Everglades of Florida, has ceased operations after less than a year in operation, state authorities confirmed on Thursday.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, announced from the facility itself that the center no longer houses any detainees and stated that it fulfilled the emergency purpose for which it was built.
"Alligator Alcatraz served the purpose for which it was designed," said DeSantis, who maintained that the facility helped remove "many, many dangerous people" from Florida and the United States, according to AFP.
Built in eight days and housing more than 20,000 detainees
According to data previously provided by DeSantis, more than 22,000 people were processed or prepared for deportation through this center. Authorities have now reported that the last detainees have been transferred to other facilities or deported, in a process that was initially justified by the start of hurricane season.
Criticism Over Conditions and Environmental Impact
Since its opening, the center has been the target of strong criticism from human rights organizations, lawyers, and the immigrants’ families, who denounced precarious conditions, a lack of medical care, and violations of due process.
Several detainees told AFP about alleged mistreatment and deficiencies in health care during their stay at the facility.
The project also sparked a legal and environmental battle. The Miccosukee Tribe, along with organizations such as Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity, alleged that the construction damaged a protected ecosystem and was carried out without the environmental impact studies required by law.
In August 2025, a judge ordered that no new immigrants be admitted to the center, although an appeals court later allowed it to continue operating while the litigation was resolved.
Society
Florida's 'Alligator Alcatraz' immigration detention center could close in June, per reports
Diane Hernández
A cost exceeding $1 billion
Another point of controversy was the facility’s high cost. According to official estimates, the project exceeded $1 billion. Although the federal government approved reimbursement of hundreds of millions, Florida has not yet recovered all of those funds, AFP reported.
With the facility’s closure, the future of the land is once again up for discussion. Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava proposed exploring the transfer of the former airfield to the National Park Service or other entities to advance the restoration of the Everglades.
“Once this facility is dismantled, we will have the opportunity to permanently protect these lands for the restoration of the Everglades and ensure they remain protected for future generations. That is the legacy we must leave behind,” the mayor said.
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