Florida taxpayers are still waiting on $608 million in promised federal reimbursements for a remote immigration detention center that the Trump administration may now shut down entirely.
The Department of Homeland Security has concluded that the Everglades facility, nicknamed “Alligator Alcatraz,” costs too much to operate, according to The New York Times, which cited unnamed sources. The development comes as Florida and the Trump administration engage in discussions about the center’s future.
Governor Ron DeSantis, who championed the facility when it opened last summer, maintains it was always intended to be temporary. The Republican governor has pointed to the center’s role in supporting federal immigration enforcement by providing additional beds to house detainees. Last month, the facility held 1,400 male detainees.
But the money question looms large. Florida requested $608 million to cover a year’s operation of the facility, and the state hasn’t received a dime of it yet. DeSantis had said the federal government would reimburse Florida for operating costs, but that payment remains outstanding.
The facility sits in one of the most remote corners of the Everglades, a location that earned it the “Alligator Alcatraz” nickname. The isolated setting made escape virtually impossible and provided exactly the kind of secure detention space that immigration enforcement officials needed as border crossings surged.
Critics of the facility have attacked conditions inside, claiming it is unsanitary and that inmates face inhumane treatment. State officials have pushed back forcefully against these characterizations, calling them false.
The potential closure raises questions about where current detainees would be transferred and how it might affect ongoing immigration enforcement operations. With 1,400 beds currently occupied, finding alternative detention space won’t be simple. Whether Florida will eventually receive its requested reimbursement remains unclear. The state made commitments based on federal promises, and taxpayers deserve to know those promises will be honored regardless of whether the facility stays open or closes.
