Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced Thursday the closure of a controversial migrant detention center in the Florida Everglades, known as "Alligator Alcatraz." The facility, constructed in under 10 days on the site of a former airport, opened last July. DeSantis stated the center fulfilled its mission of assisting the Trump administration with immigration enforcement and deportations.
According to DeSantis, 21,000 migrants held at the facility have been deported. He added that Florida's detention operations have led to nearly 30,000 additional deportations, with the state accounting for over 40% of all state and local immigration arrests nationwide. Detainees remaining at the facility awaiting deportation have been transferred to federal facilities, and the tent structures will be dismantled.
The governor indicated that he expects the federal government to reimburse Florida for the $1.2 billion cost of building and operating the detention center. DeSantis said the facility was established to address perceived failures in the Biden administration's immigration enforcement and to bolster interior enforcement efforts.
Critics had raised concerns about inhumane conditions at the facility and its potential environmental impact on the Everglades wetlands and endangered species. DeSantis addressed these concerns, stating that measures were taken to contain the operation and prevent significant harm to the surrounding environment.
Tom Homan, a former acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, recounted that DeSantis had offered to assist with immigration enforcement shortly after President Trump took office, at a time when federal resources for mass deportations were not yet fully established. Homan described DeSantis's action as stepping up during a time of need.