Florida officials said the immigration detention center known as “Alligator Alcatraz” was emptied of detainees due to hurricane threats.
The 3,000-bed site, situated in the heart of the Everglades, was vacated earlier this month, with all detainees transferred to other facilities.
Officials said the move was a safety precaution ahead of the upcoming hurricane season, which lasts from June to November. The facility's structures can only withstand winds of up to 74 miles per hour — equivalent to a Category 1 hurricane or tropical storm.
Kevin Guthrie, the executive director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, said there was “never, ever an intent to leave individuals at that facility, even in a tropical storm,”WFTV reported.
The site could still house detainees again in the future, according to the outlet, though other reports indicate it will be closed permanently amid soaring costs.
Alligator Alcatraz opened last July on the site of a decommissioned airstrip about 40 miles west of Miami. It was among several ICE detention facilities that opened under the direction of then-DHS Secretary Kristi Noem in order to streamline Trump’s immigration crackdown.
More than 1,000 detainees were held at the facility, which Trump once said would house “the most vicious people on the planet,” even joking that escapees would have to outrun alligators. In reality, Homeland Security classified most of those detained as non-criminals.
Built in just eight days by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration, the center faced immediate controversy. Lawsuits alleged “overcrowded, unsanitary, and harsh conditions” as well as “excessive use of force” from guards. Environmentalists, meanwhile, warned of ecological damage to the Everglades.
In recent months, speculation has mounted that the remote facility would be shuttered.
On Monday, CBS News reported that it will shut down permanently, citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter.
Firms hired by the state to help operate Alligator Alcatraz were told this week to start “full demobilization” of the center, with one source telling the outlet: “All vendors got the notice.”
Officials said that the plan was always to move towards demobilization — something DeSantis hinted at during a press conference last month, when he hailed the project as a success.
“If we shut the lights out tomorrow, we will be able to say it served its purpose,” he told reporters on May 8, according to Politico. He said that almost 22,000 illegal immigrants had been processed there for deportation.
Rising operational costs were the primary factor behind the facility’s closure, with total expenses projected to exceed $1 billion, CBS News reported.
State officials have requested $608 million in reimbursement from the federal government — a sum that has been approved but remains tied up in legal challenges.
According to a July 2025 YouGov survey, the facility was broadly unpopular. Forty-eight percent of respondents opposed the opening of Alligator Alcatraz, while 33 percent supported it. Eighteen percent said they weren’t sure.
The Independent has reached out to the Florida Division of Emergency Management and the governor’s office for comment.
