Inmates at “Alligator Alcatraz” Detention Center Transferred Amid Hurricane Concerns
All detainees at the immigration detention facility known as “Alligator Alcatraz” in the Florida Everglades have been relocated due to worries about the upcoming hurricane season, as reported by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
The DHS did confirm that all inmates had been moved, but they did not specify the number of detainees involved. Some of those transferred will be sent to another ICE facility located in northern Florida, known as the Deportation Center in Sanderson.
As for how long the migrants will stay in the new facility, the agency did not provide clear information on whether the transfer is temporary or permanent.
A DHS spokesperson stated, “As we enter hurricane season, ICE and the State of Florida have removed illegal aliens from soft-sided facilities. For their safety, we have transferred them to other facilities.”
Conditions at “Alligator Alcatraz”
The detention facility, often criticized for its conditions, opened on July 3, 2025, shortly after last year’s hurricane season began, which ended without any major storms in Florida. Just as the transfer news broke, the National Hurricane Center indicated the formation of the first tropical storm of this year’s hurricane season off Texas.
While it has received some praise from figures like former President Donald Trump, the facility has faced backlash from legal advocates and human rights organizations for its treatment of inmates and overall conditions. Reports from detainees have included alarming accounts of poor health, lack of legal access, infestations in food, non-functioning toilets, and unsanitary floors.
Amy Godshall, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, remarked, “Removing people from this cruel facility is an important step, but it does not erase the damage that has already been done. The state and federal government must permanently close this facility and commit to never holding people there again.”
Overview of the Facility’s History
This controversial detention center, designed by Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis to aid Trump’s agenda for mass detention and deportation, has processed over 20,000 detainees since its inception. Governor DeSantis emphasized last month that such detention facilities are considered temporary by nature.
However, some immigration advocates suspect the concerns about hurricanes may not be the real reason behind the current relocations of detainees. They have reported an uptick in transfers recently and expressed concern about losing contact with multiple individuals during this process.
Arianne Betancourt, a community advocate, described the reasoning for the transfers as “nonsense.” She pointed out that the facility opened amid severe weather conditions last year. Detainees are often moved into different systems and become hard to track, leading families and legal representatives to struggle to find them for days.
