‘Alligator Alcatraz’ Facing Closure Amid Massive Costs and Empty Cells

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis confirmed that state and federal officials are in talks to wind down operations at the South Florida immigration detention facility nicknamed “Alligator Alcatraz,” built in eight days in the Everglades last summer and the subject of months of reporting on caged outdoor conditions and detainee “disappearances” from ICE tracking systems. The New York Times reported the Department of Homeland Security determined the facility was too expensive to keep running — Florida has spent more than $1 million a day on its operation — while occupancy reportedly fell well below capacity. DeSantis said the facility was always intended to be temporary; advocates argue its closure does not address the underlying conditions documented by Amnesty International and others.