Florida Shuts Alligator Alcatraz by June as Costs Near $1 Billion
Updated
Updated · CBS New York · May 13
Florida Shuts Alligator Alcatraz by June as Costs Near $1 Billion
16 articles · Updated · CBS New York · May 13
1,400 detainees at Florida's Everglades detention center are expected to be transferred or deported within weeks after state officials formally told vendors Tuesday that the site will close by June.
Nearly $1 billion in total costs drove the decision, with Florida still waiting on reimbursement for an approved $608 million request and facing roughly $300 million in additional expenses that may not be covered.
Two to three weeks of demobilization will follow the last transfer, including removing fencing, trailers and other temporary structures before the site reverts to use as a small pilot-training airport.
Opened on July 3, 2025 as a temporary state-funded facility championed by Ron DeSantis and praised by President Trump, the center also drew environmental lawsuits and criticism over allegedly inhumane conditions.
Does this costly closure impact the broader national strategy for building new large-scale immigration detention centers?
What fate awaits the 1,400 detainees being transferred, and will their new conditions be an improvement?
After a half-billion-dollar facility closes in under a year, what is the plan for the dismantled site and its costs?