Advocates Demand Probe of $608 Million Florida Detention Camp After 12 Months of Alleged Damage
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Jun 26
Advocates Demand Probe of $608 Million Florida Detention Camp After 12 Months of Alleged Damage
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jun 26
Summary
Environmental groups, immigrant-rights advocates and the Miccosukee Tribe called Friday for an independent investigation into the closed Alligator Alcatraz center, saying its 12 months of operation harmed both the Everglades and detainees.
Friends of the Everglades said the site paved 20 acres without required permits, added fencing and intense lighting, and disrupted about 2,000 acres of Florida panther habitat during nocturnal movement.
Speakers said the environmental risk may not be over, noting hazardous materials are still being trucked in and vehicles carrying human waste are still leaving the shuttered facility.
Ana María Hernández described her cousin's husband, a longtime legal resident, being detained without explanation and held in filthy conditions; he spent more than five months in ICE custody before his release this month.
Ron DeSantis, who announced the shutdown Thursday, defended the site's environmental controls at the facility that cost $608 million and, he said, processed 21,000 deportations.
Who will fund the massive Everglades restoration after the controversial $608 million detention center's closure?
As private prison profits soar, what does this closure mean for the future of the immigration detention system?
The Alligator Alcatraz is closed, but what happens to the thousands who allegedly suffered abuses inside its walls?
Florida’s "Alligator Alcatraz" Detention Center (2025–2026): Human Rights Abuses, Environmental Harm, and the Costly Path to Closure
Overview
The Florida Everglades detention center, known as 'Alligator Alcatraz,' officially closed in June 2026 after urgent instructions from staff and signals from the Department of Homeland Security. Governor Ron DeSantis emphasized that the facility was always meant to be temporary, serving as an emergency site until federal officials secured permanent detention capacity. The closure was driven by the start of hurricane season and rising operational costs. Initially, the Florida Division of Emergency Management planned to transition the site, but the decision shifted to a full shutdown, highlighting the complex and rapidly changing situation surrounding the facility’s end.