OCHOPEE, Fla. — The makeshift immigration detention center carved out of the Florida swamplands and dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz” is shutting down for good, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Thursday.
The Republican governor said the facility was designed from the start to be a short-term solution, intended to stay open for roughly a year while more permanent detention infrastructure was put in place. Now that federal officials have adequate capacity elsewhere, the center’s job is done.
“It served its purpose for the time,” DeSantis said.
Authorities had already announced a temporary shutdown earlier in June, citing safety concerns tied to hurricane season. Officials determined it was too dangerous to continue housing detainees in the Florida Everglades during storm season, and everyone held at the remote airstrip location was transferred to other facilities.
The center was constructed by DeSantis’ administration in just a matter of days in 2025. President Trump later visited the site, and both he and DeSantis described it as a key part of Republican efforts to deport people living in the country without legal status. The governor said 21,000 individuals were deported through the facility during its operation.
However, immigration advocates consistently argued the tent-based facility was neither safe nor humane. Detainees themselves described troubling conditions, including worms found in food, toilets that did not function properly, floors flooded with sewage, and swarms of mosquitoes and other insects throughout the facility. Many also reported having difficulty reaching legal representation while held there.
