Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Thursday that Florida's controversial Everglades immigration detention center, nicknamed 'Alligator Alcatraz,' has closed after nearly a year of operation. The Republican governor said the facility, built hastily in July 2025 at an airstrip near Ochopee, served its intended purpose as a temporary solution while permanent detention capacity was established.
The White House border czar Tom Homan joined DeSantis at a news conference at the shuttered facility. Officials announced the temporary closure earlier in June, citing hurricane season safety concerns, and transferred all detainees to other facilities across South Florida, California, Arizona, Louisiana, and Texas. The governor said the airstrip will continue to be used for immigration enforcement operations.
What the Right Is Saying
DeSantis defended the facility as a necessary response to federal immigration enforcement gaps. 'We stepped up because there was a gap, but my hope is that they'll be able to handle that,' the governor said at his news conference.
The Trump administration praised Florida's effort. Homan said the state played a key role and will continue doing so with other detention centers. 'Gov. DeSantis did a good job, and he's going to continue doing what he's doing to help us make this country safe again,' Homan said. 'This isn't the end of relationship. This is a continuation.'
DeSantis highlighted the facility's output: 21,000 people were deported through the Everglades center during its operation. The governor and President Donald Trump repeatedly described the facility as critical to Republican efforts to return people in the country illegally back to their home countries.
What the Left Is Saying
Immigration advocates argued the closure does nothing to address the harm done to people held at the facility or their families. The Florida Immigrant Coalition released a statement saying the only winners were corporations and contractors who profited millions of dollars as Republicans pushed an immigration emergency that does not exist.
Detainees' attorneys described conditions inside the tents-and-trailers facility, including worms in food, toilets that did not flush, floors flooded with fecal waste, mosquitoes everywhere, air conditioning that shut off abruptly in Florida heat, and detainees going days without showers or prescription medicine. Lawyers said their clients suddenly disappeared for about a week before being located at facilities across the country earlier this month.
Environmental groups also vowed to continue legal action. 'The administration believes it can quietly walk away and leave its mess for others to clean up,' said Paul J. Schwiep, an attorney for Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity. The organizations sued over the detention center, saying Florida officials never obtained proper permits or completed required environmental impact reviews.
What the Numbers Show
The detention center operated for approximately 11 months, opening in July 2025 and closing June 25, 2026. According to DeSantis, 21,000 deportations were processed through the Everglades facility. The Florida Immigrant Coalition alleged contractors profited millions during the facility's operation.
Environmental groups have indicated they will pursue legal action over alleged permit violations and environmental damage at the site, though specific damage estimates have not been publicly quantified. A judge previously ordered a shutdown of the facility after finding funding issues with the $218 million allocated by the state legislature for its construction and operation.
The Bottom Line
The closure marks the end of Florida's most visible immigration enforcement experiment under DeSantis, but both the governor and White House officials indicated the state's role in federal deportation efforts will continue through other detention facilities. Environmental litigation over alleged permit violations at the Everglades site remains ongoing, with attorneys for Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity vowing to hold state and federal governments accountable regardless of the facility's closure.