Florida’s controversial “Alligator Alcatraz” immigration detention center, which faced harsh criticism for its conditions, has officially shut down nearly a year after opening, Governor Ron DeSantis announced Thursday.
The Republican governor stated that the remote facility, located at an isolated airstrip in the Everglades, was always intended as a temporary solution until more permanent detention centers could be secured. DeSantis indicated that federal officials now have that capacity, adding, “It served its purpose for the time.”
Officials had previously announced a temporary shutdown of the facility in early June, relocating all detainees due to safety concerns related to hurricane season in the Everglades.
Immigration advocates said the tents were never safe or humane for holding people. Detainees at the facility have talked about their difficulty accessing lawyers and described poor physical conditions, including worms in the food, toilets that didn’t flush, floors flooded with fecal waste, and mosquitoes and other insects everywhere.
The detention center was built by DeSantis’ administration in a matter of days and opened in July 2025. DeSantis and President Donald Trump said the detention center was critical to Republican efforts to return people in the country illegally back to their home countries.
“There is no question this mission has made the state of Florida safer,” said DeSantis, noting that 21,000 people were deported through the facility.
Lawyers for the immigrants at the facility said their clients suddenly started leaving for other facilities in South Florida, California, Arizona, Louisiana and Texas earlier this month, disappearing for about a week before their attorneys and families were told where they were sent.
Advocates for immigrants said closing “Alligator Alcatraz” does nothing to stop the harm of people who spend months in custody as their families suffer.
The Florida Immigrant Coalition said the only winners were corporations and contractors who profited millions of dollars as Republicans pushed an immigration emergency that does not exist.
DeSantis said the airstrip in the Everglades the facility was built around will continue to be used.
