Florida to Close Alligator Alcatraz Detention Center
Following discussions between state officials and the Trump administration, Florida announced on Tuesday that they would be closing the Alligator Alcatraz detention center, which houses undocumented immigrants deep in the Everglades.
Reports indicate that the decision stems from the high costs of maintaining and operating the facility, which have reached hundreds of millions of dollars since it opened on July 3, 2025.
This announcement comes on the heels of a report detailing ongoing talks about the center’s future. Governor Ron DeSantis addressed the situation at a public event in Brevard County, affirming that the facility has served its temporary purpose while the state grapples with significant financial strains in its daily functions.
“We knew it was going to be temporary. If we shut off the lights tomorrow, we’d have served our purpose,” DeSantis said, noting that securing federal funding would take time.
The detention center, which opened during Kristi Noem’s time as Homeland Security Secretary, is located about 59 miles west of Miami in a unique subtropical area populated by alligators and exotic pythons. This environment was often highlighted by the White House to underscore a firm stance on illegal immigration.
In response to the closure announcement, environmental advocates indicated they would proceed with existing lawsuits. They have previously contested the center’s rapid development on environmentally sensitive land.
“We will not let up until Alligator Alcatraz is closed and the damage to the Everglades is fully remedied. This political stunt was a failure on every count. Our government failed the Everglades, failed the taxpayers, and history will remember,” stated Eve Samples, executive director of Friends of the Everglades, one of the advocacy groups involved.
The federal government operates a network of other detention centers both in Florida and nationwide, but it remains uncertain where the detainees will be relocated as the Alligator Alcatraz facility begins to shut down.
As of April 2, 2026, there were 1,383 detainees at the Everglades facility, according to data from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, marking the most recent statistics available prior to the closure announcement.
