politics
Florida Closes Temporary Immigration Detention Center
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Thursday the Everglades facility known as Alligator Alcatraz was always intended to be temporary and will shut down once federal permanent sites are operational. The center, which opened last summer, has processed more than 21,000 detainees for deportation but costs the state more than $1 million daily.
May 7, 8:35 PM·3m read6 sources
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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.
