Florida Closes 'Alligator Alcatraz' Immigration Detention Center

TAMPA, AL — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Thursday that the state's controversial "Alligator Alcatraz" immigration detention center has permanently closed, nearly a year after opening in the Florida Everglades.

According to reporting by the Associated Press, DeSantis said during a press conference Thursday that the remote detention facility was always intended to be a temporary operation until federal officials expanded capacity at more permanent immigration detention centers.

The state says it had already evacuated detainees from the site earlier this month because of hurricane season, transferring them to facilities in Florida and several other states.

The center, which opened in July 2025 after being constructed at an isolated Everglades airstrip, drew widespread criticism from immigration advocates and attorneys representing detainees.

According to the AP, detainees reported unsanitary conditions, including insects, worms in food, malfunctioning toilets and flooding from sewage, while advocates also raised concerns about limited access to legal counsel.

DeSantis defended the facility, saying it "served its purpose" and helped facilitate the deportation of approximately 21,000 people.

Immigration advocates, however, argued that closing the facility does little to address broader concerns over prolonged detention and family separations.

Officials also said that the airstrip where the detention center was located will continue to be used.

The Associated Press contributed to this reporting