OCHOPEE, Fla. – Gov. Ron DeSantis said demobilization efforts were underway at Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport — the site of the South Florida Detention Center, known as “Alligator Alcatraz.”
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said detainees were moved, citing concerns related to hurricane season, though it did not say whether the facility would close permanently.
DeSantis said the facility has led to almost 21,000 deportations.
“We stood this up, we surged critical resources, we built critical infrastructure,” DeSantis said Thursday. “We were able to manage very complex operations, and we were able to efficiently execute the mission when called upon. There’s no question that this mission has made the state of Florida safer.”
But detainees say they were subjected to poor conditions, including worms in the food, toilets that don’t flush, flooding floors with fecal waste, and mosquitoes and other insects everywhere.
Immigration attorneys also said they frequently had problems gaining access to their clients.
Florida is still waiting for hundreds of millions of dollars in reimbursement from the federal government for Alligator Alcatraz.