Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the shutdown of the Everglades Detention Facility, also known as ‘Alligator Alcatraz’, on Thursday. The facility, which was built in a matter of days, has been the topic of heated debate since it opened in July 2025.
Background
The detention center was built to hold illegal immigrants, with the goal of returning them to their home countries. However, the facility has been plagued by reports of inhumane conditions, including poor physical conditions and difficulty accessing lawyers.
DeSantis claimed that the center led to nearly 21,000 deportations, and stated that ‘there is no question that this mission made the state of Florida safer.’ However, immigration advocates argued that the closure of the facility does nothing to stop the harm to people who spend months in custody as their families suffer.
Reaction
White House border czar Tom Homan praised DeSantis’ efforts, saying that he ‘did a good job’ and will ‘continue doing what he’s doing to help us make this country safe again.’ However, environmental groups sued over the detention center, saying that Florida officials never got the proper permits or did the required reviews on its impact.
Lawyers for the immigrants at the facility said that their clients were suddenly relocated to other facilities in South Florida, California, Arizona, Louisiana, and Texas, without notice. DeSantis said that the Everglades airstrip the facility was built around will continue to be used.
Original reporting: KCCI Des Moines — read the source article.
