politics
Florida Evacuates Alligator Alcatraz Detention Facility Ahead of Hurricane Season
State and federal officials moved detainees from the Everglades tent facility to other locations for safety. The move comes as hurricane season begins and follows statements from Gov. Ron DeSantis on the site's temporary status.
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Florida evacuated its “Alligator Alcatraz” detention facility in the Everglades over fears of hurricanes. The facility, set up last year in one of the most inhospitable areas in the country, mainly consists of enforced tents ill-suited for hurricanes. Immigration and Customs Enforcement transferred the detainees to other facilities.
“As we enter into hurricane season, ICE and the state of Florida have moved illegal aliens from the soft sided facility,” the agency said in a statement to NBC News Miami. ” Gov. Ron DeSantis stated on Tuesday that the state does not direct people to the facility and that DHS directs them there.
“The state doesn’t direct people there, it’s DHS that directs them there,” he said at a news conference. ” DeSantis stated that when the facility was established, officials thought it would be needed for six months to a year. “I think when we did it we thought that it would be six months to a year in terms of the necessity of it,” he said.
He stated that as of yesterday the facility was not empty. The facility was set up in the Everglades last year and served as a flagship for state efforts to support President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda. It remains an open question whether detainees will ever return to the facility, or if the evacuation will be an excuse to shut it down altogether.
