DeSantis acknowledges Florida’s ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ may wind down operations

TALLAHASSEE, Florida — Gov. Ron DeSantis acknowledged Thursday that Florida may soon shutter “Alligator Alcatraz,” the immigration detention center built in the middle of the Everglades that had been a centerpiece of state and federal efforts to fulfill President Donald Trump’s deportation promises.

The Republican governor, who stressed he had always intended the facility to be temporary as the Trump administration ramped up its efforts, did not give out an exact timeline of when the center may be closed and return to its role as an aircraft training site.

“We knew that it would take some time for them to stand it up, but ultimately our goal on this was for that facility to be a bridge,” said DeSantis following a bill signing ceremony in Lakeland. “If they can handle that, then yeah that would be great for us to break that facility down.”

The center opened with great fanfare from the president’s allies and even drew a visit from Trump. But it has been sharply criticized by immigration advocates and Democrats over its operations, while environmental and tribal groups filed lawsuits challenging its construction.

“Alligator Alcatraz,” or the South Florida Detention Facility, has also been a costly endeavor, but DeSantis declared it a success and said that nearly 22,000 people who were not in the country lawfully had been processed for deportation. He said people would have been released back into the community if the detention center had not been opened.

“If we shut the lights out tomorrow, we will be able to say it served its purpose,” DeSantis said.

Cost projections for building and operating Alligator Alcatraz have bounced around, with some estimates topping more than $1 billion due to a cost exceeding $1 million a day, according to records released in a connection to a lawsuit and obtained by the Florida Trib. The federal government last year awarded Florida more than $600 million for the facility but has yet to turn it over.

DeSantis said that the ultimate determination on closure would come from the Department of Homeland Security, an agency he noted has seen a change in leadership after former Secretary Kristi Noem was replaced in March and wanted a “fresh look at these things.”

“I think it makes sense that DHS is evaluating what their footprint is, how they can best accomplish the mission and we’ll continue to be a partner with them as they go forward,” DeSantis said.

In response to questions from POLITICO, DHS said it was not pressuring Florida to cease operations at the immigration detention center. But it did not directly answer what the timeline was for reimbursing the state, saying only that the agency reviews requests “to ensure costs are allowable and validated expenses that are eligible for reimbursement prior to releasing funding.”

“Florida continues to be a valuable partner in advancing President Trump’s immigration agenda, and DHS appreciates their support,” the agency said. “DHS continuously evaluates detention needs and requirements to ensure they meet the latest operational requirements.”

Trump in July toured the tented facility, which is located in the middle of an airstrip in Ochopee, Florida — marking the first major public event he and the governor have had since DeSantis challenged him for the 2024 Republican nomination for president. The idea to build the facility came from Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, DeSantis’ former chief of staff and presidential campaign manager. Both national and state Republicans fundraised off the detention center through selling hats, T-shirts and bumper stickers.

News that Florida was in talks with DHS officials to shut down Alligator Alcatraz was first reported in The New York Times.

The detention facility has been the subject of backlash since it first opened, due to both humanitarian and environmental criticisms. It also has been the subject of several lawsuits, centered on concerns that its runoff might harm endangered species and tribal lands and that detainees were not receiving due process. A third lawsuit, waged by Democratic lawmakers who wanted access to survey the facility unannounced, was struck down in January by a circuit judge.

Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who made an unannounced visit to Alligator Alcatraz in April, called the conditions at the detention center “atrocious.”

“It’s sickening that Trump and DeSantis cram people with no criminal history into inhumane cages while Florida taxpayers foot the outrageous, wasteful bill,” she said. “This monument to cruelty ought to be shut down immediately.”

In one of the lawsuits, the state argued in filings that it was unable to comply with a judge’s order to provide phone access to detainees, citing the $180,000 cost of doing so in a remote location. The state asked for a stay to the order and appealed.

Sam Lester, immigrants' rights staff attorney for ACLU Florida, one of the groups who sued over the due process concerns, said the lawsuit wouldn't continue if “Alligator Alcatraz” were to be shut down. But he said the case showed the administration put “no thought whatsoever into detaining people in the middle of a wetland” and following constitutional obligations that include giving immigrants access to attorneys.

“While we welcome reports that this center may finally be shut down, accountability cannot end there,” he said. “We remain deeply concerned that detained people could be transferred to other ICE detention facilities with similarly horrific records of abuse and rights violations.”

Friends of the Everglades, one of the environmental advocacy groups suing the state and federal government due to the detention center’s impact on the environment, still plans to pursue litigation even if the facility shuts down.

The facility has already caused damage to the environment that won’t be undone even if the facility shuts down, said Eve Samples, the organization’s executive director. Samples said the group plans to seek remediation no matter the facility’s status.

Friends of the Everglades, the Center for Biological Diversity and the Miccosukee Tribe are expected to head back to federal court soon to argue that the facility violates the Endangered Species Act and other laws, after an appeals court ruled last month that the facility was not under federal control, and therefore didn’t need to undergo a federal environmental review. The ruling, which overturned a lower court injunction, also allowed the facility to stay open.

“This destructive detention camp in the middle of the Everglades should have never been built in the first place, but I’m glad it may finally come to an end,” Elise Bennett, a senior attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity, wrote in a text. “Until it does, we’re going to press on in district court with everything we’ve got.”

Eric Bazail-Eimil contributed to this report.