Florida Closes Temporary Immigration Detention Center

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Thursday that the immigration detention center known as Alligator Alcatraz was always meant to be temporary and will be dismantled once the Department of Homeland Security has sufficient capacity at permanent sites. DeSantis made the remarks at a news conference in Lakeland on the same day The New York Times reported that state and federal officials were in early talks about closing the remote facility in the Florida Everglades.

The governor said the center would "return to the Everglades" with a commitment that the land will never be developed. "At some point, we will, of course, break it down. That was always the goal," DeSantis stated. He added that if the Department of Homeland Security feels it has the resources to house detainees elsewhere, the facility will wind down.

The Department of Homeland Security has concluded the site, which opened last summer, is too expensive to continue operating, according to The New York Times. Florida has spent more than $1 million a day to run the center and has not yet received the $608 million it requested in federal reimbursement.

Since opening, the facility has processed and deported more than 21,000 detainees, state officials said. Last month the facility held 1,400 male detainees. Detainees are segregated based on criminal history and flight risk, according to a handbook released in a lawsuit over access to attorneys.

During head counts they are not allowed to move or talk, with violations resulting in collective punishment by locking down the housing unit. Detainees have described poor physical conditions and difficulty accessing lawyers. State officials have rejected those characterizations.

The New York Times reported that the Department of Homeland Security determined the annual cost to Florida, running into hundreds of millions of dollars, made continued operation unsustainable. A senior Florida official emphasized the state appreciates the federal government's commitment to reimbursement and continues to support the mission.

The Department of Homeland Security stated Thursday that Florida remains a valuable partner in advancing President Trump's immigration agenda. The department said it continuously evaluates detention needs and requirements. Discussions about possibly closing the facility have occurred since the department received a new secretary in late March.

DHS denied it was urging Florida to cease operations.

An appeals court recently allowed the facility to remain open after a lower court had ordered it to wind down for failing to comply with federal environmental law. The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in a 2-1 decision that the state-run facility was not under federal control and did not require a federal environmental impact review.

The majority wrote that Florida officials constructed the facility on state-controlled land at state expense. The site is located at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport, surrounded by protected wetlands in the Everglades ecosystem. The facility's 2.5-mile runway will remain available for large flights from neighboring ICE facilities even after the detention center closes.

>"Florida continues to be a valuable partner in advancing President Trump’s immigration agenda, and DHS appreciates their support. " — Department of Homeland Security, May 7, 2026 (Washington Times) >"At some point, we will, of course, break it down.

" — Florida Gov.