Florida’s “Alligator Alcatraz” Detention Center Set for Closure Amid Cost and Legal Pressures

The soft‑sided immigration detention facility nicknamed “Alligator Alcatraz,” built on a former airstrip in the Everglades, is slated to shut down within weeks. The center, opened in July 2025 as part of Florida’s aggressive state‑level immigration enforcement, has housed roughly 1,400 detainees and drawn harsh criticism for its conditions, high operating costs and placement on ecologically sensitive land.

State officials have told vendors to prepare for closure, with detainees to be relocated by early June. The shutdown follows a series of lawsuits by environmental groups alleging the site never received a required federal environmental review. After a district judge ordered the facility to wind down, an appellate court temporarily blocked the order, then returned the case to the same judge, prompting groups to say “the defendants are now effectively waving the white flag.”

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said he has received no formal notice that the federal government will stop sending migrants to the center, but vendors have been informed that closure could occur as soon as next month. He defended the state’s spending, noting that the $608 million reimbursement promised by the federal government has yet to arrive and that the operation saved taxpayers “from medical care and schooling” of undocumented immigrants.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told CBS News the department has contingency plans for natural disasters at the site but “no plans to close the facility permanently,” emphasizing its role in surge‑capacity for migrant influxes. The center’s total cost has been estimated between $460 million and more than $1 billion, including $92 million spent on portable toilets.

The facility’s closure marks a reversal of one of the most visible symbols of Florida’s hard‑line immigration stance and will likely shift detainee transfers to other ICE facilities nationwide.