ORLANDO, Fla. – The immigration detention facility known as “Alligator Alcatraz” in South Florida could shut down as soon as next month, according to reports from multiple media outlets.
The controversial facility first opened in the summer of 2025 and has since faced mounting legal challenges, high operating costs and allegations of inhumane conditions from detainees and immigrant advocates.
Companies hired to operate the site have now reportedly been told the facility will be shutting down. Florida has spent more than $1 million per day to run the detention center while waiting for reimbursement from the federal government.
During a Wednesday morning press conference in Titusville, Gov. Ron DeSantis said the facility was always intended to be temporary.
“When we opened it in the summer of 2025, it was always intended to be temporary because we were only doing it because the federal government didn’t have the resources to hold these people themselves,” DeSantis said.
The governor also addressed the state’s pending request for $608 million in federal reimbursement.
“The reimbursement is approved, so that will happen,” DeSantis said. “FEMA doesn’t reimburse immediately. It just takes time. We’re still waiting for reimbursement from hurricanes from a couple years ago on different things. It’s just the way the federal government operates.”
DeSantis said state and federal officials have discussed winding down operations at the facility if the Department of Homeland Security determines it has the resources to house detainees elsewhere.
The detention center, located in the Everglades near Ochopee, has processed and deported approximately 22,000 detainees since opening, DeSantis said.
Detainees held at the site have described poor physical conditions and difficulties accessing attorneys. A handbook released as part of an ongoing lawsuit states detainees can face punishment if they move or talk during head counts, including entire dorm units being locked down, according to the Associated Press.