{"id":1318,"date":"2026-05-13T15:01:16","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T15:01:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=1318"},"modified":"2026-05-13T15:01:16","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T15:01:16","slug":"alligator-alcatraz-floridas-controversial-immigrant-detention-center-to-close-reports","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=1318","title":{"rendered":"‘Alligator Alcatraz,’ Florida’s controversial immigrant detention center, to close: reports"},"content":{"rendered":"

“Alligator Alcatraz,” the controversial immigrant detention center built last year in Florida\u2019s Everglades, is closing down soon, according to multiple reports.\u00a0<\/p>

Read more Popular \u2018Revenge of the Nerds\u2019 and \u2018Bloodsport\u2019 actor Donald Gibb dead at 71<\/a><\/p>

The reported closure comes after multiple lawsuits accusing the facility of inhumane conditions for detainees, blocking access to lawyers and ignoring environmental concerns in the Everglades\u2019 delicate ecosystem. Here\u2019s the latest:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>

Why is \u2018Alligator Alcatraz\u2019 closing?\u00a0<\/h2>
<\/div>

What we know:<\/p>

According to\u00a0The New York Times<\/u><\/i>, the Department of Homeland Security has deemed Alligator Alcatraz as ineffective and too expensive to run.<\/p>

Officials told private vendors that detainees will be moved starting in June, with the center closing in the following weeks.\u00a0<\/p>

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n

A Florida Highway Patrol car is seen at the entrance to the immigrant detention center known as “Alligator Alcatraz” on May 8, 2026. (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA \/ AFP via Getty Images)<\/span> <\/p> <\/div><\/div>

What we don’t know:<\/p>

It\u2019s unclear where the detainees will be sent.\u00a0<\/p>

What they’re saying:<\/p>

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said last week that the center was always meant to be temporary.\u00a0<\/p>

“At some point, we will, of course, break it down. That was always the goal,” the Republican governor said\/\u00a0<\/p>

What is “Alligator Alcatraz”?\u00a0<\/h2>

The backstory:<\/p>

Known as “Alligator Alcatraz,” the controversial detention center was built last summer at a remote airstrip by DeSantis\u2019 administration to support President Donald Trump\u2019s immigration policies. Florida also has built a second immigration detention center in north Florida.<\/p>

Read more Trump arrives in Beijing for summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping<\/a><\/p>

By the numbers:<\/p>

Florida has spent more than $1 million a day to run the facility, and DeSantis has said he expects reimbursement from the federal government. The state has not yet received $608 million it has requested.<\/p>

DeSantis said the facility has processed and deported 22,000 detainees since it opened last summer.<\/p>

According to\u00a0The New York Times<\/i>, some private vendors say they\u2019ve been having to front costs for operations at Alligator Alcatraz. One vendor told The Times that it\u2019s been more than 200 days since the state paid some invoices.\u00a0<\/p>

Meanwhile, detainees at the facility have described poor physical conditions and difficulty accessing lawyers.<\/p>

Detainees are segregated based on criminal history and whether they are considered a flight risk, according to a handbook made public as part of a lawsuit over whether detainees have proper access to attorneys. It says that during regular head counts, detainees aren\u2019t allowed to move or talk. If they do, they can be punished, along with everyone in their dorm, by being locked in their housing unit.<\/p>

A lawsuit from people formerly held at Alligator Alcatraz claims that their First Amendment rights were violated. They say attorneys have to make an appointment to visit three days in advance, unlike at other immigration detention facilities where lawyers can just show up during visiting hours; that detained people often are transferred to other facilities before their attorneys\u2019 appointments to see them; and that scheduling delays have been so lengthy that detainees were unable to meet with attorneys before key deadlines.<\/p>

Environmental\u00a0groups have also filed lawsuits against the facility<\/u>, claiming it opened without undergoing federally required environmental impact assessments, which they argue puts the delicate ecosystem at risk from increased human activity, noise and light pollution.<\/p>

Read more Trump temporarily spared from paying $83M defamation award to E. Jean Carroll<\/a><\/p> <\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Florida has spent over $1 million a day to run its “Alligator Alcatraz” immigrant detention center in the Everglades. It’s still waiting on $608 million in reimbursement from the U.S. government.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1316,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,14,67],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1318","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-florida","category-immigration","category-politics"],"yoast_head":"\n'Alligator Alcatraz,' Florida's controversial immigrant detention center, to close: reports - Houston Moving Journal<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=1318\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"'Alligator Alcatraz,' Florida's controversial immigrant detention center, to close: reports - Houston Moving Journal\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Florida has spent over $1 million a day to run its "Alligator Alcatraz" immigrant detention center in the Everglades. 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