Florida Closes 'Alligator Alcatraz' Immigration Facility

Florida permanently closed the temporary immigration detention facility known as Alligator Alcatraz on June 25, 2026, after transferring all federal detainees to other facilities, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced. According to ZeroHedge, the facility at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport in the Florida Everglades, about 50 miles west of Miami, now holds zero detainees and led to the deportation of almost 21,000 illegal immigrants during its operation.

Key takeaways
Florida closed Alligator Alcatraz on June 25, 2026, after transferring all detainees to other facilities, according to Gov. DeSantis.
The facility was completed in less than two weeks and led to the deportation of almost 21,000 illegal immigrants, mainly people with criminal records or wanted for crimes.
The 2026 hurricane season starting June 1 prompted Florida officials to move detainees out of the soft-sided facility.
Florida's Deportation Depot in Baker County has processed 10,000 illegal immigrants and will continue to operate, according to the governor.

Table of Contents
What happened
Facility operations and deportation record
Federal cooperation and state enforcement
Legal challenges and advocacy response
What to watch next

What happened

Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the permanent closure of Alligator Alcatraz at a press conference outside the facility on June 25, 2026. The governor stated that the facility now has zero detainees and helped remove many dangerous people from the streets of Florida and the United States. The 2026 hurricane season, which started June 1, prompted Florida officials to move detainees out of the soft-sided facility, according to the source context.

U.S. Border Czar Tom Homan joined Florida officials at the closure event, touting the state's success in helping the Trump administration achieve what he described as a record number of arrests and deportations. Homan reported that the administration had reduced illegal immigration by 97 percent at the border and had recovered 147,000 out of the 300,000 immigrant children that went missing under President Joe Biden's administration, according to the source context.

Facility operations and deportation record

The facility was completed in less than two weeks and led to the deportation of almost 21,000 illegal immigrants, mainly people who had criminal records or were wanted for crimes, DeSantis said. Crimes committed by the foreign nationals who were deported from the facility included sexual battery, international cartel activity, drug trafficking, homicide, burglary, fraud, fentanyl distribution, and Medicaid fraud, according to records cited in the source context.

Florida will continue to cooperate with the Trump administration on its immigration program, DeSantis said. The state's Deportation Depot in Baker County has processed 10,000 illegal immigrants and will continue to operate, according to the governor. Homan stated that targeting national security threats is a priority of President Trump and that the closure does not end the relationship between Florida and federal immigration enforcement.

Federal cooperation and state enforcement

Florida is the only state in America that requires all state agencies to cooperate with federal law enforcement agencies in Florida for immigration enforcement, according to the source context. As a result, Florida has accounted for 40 percent of all immigrant arrests during President Donald Trump's second term, according to the governor. This level of state-federal cooperation represents a distinctive approach to immigration enforcement that may influence how other states consider their own policies.

For readers following broader general market briefs , state-level policy decisions on immigration enforcement can matter because they may influence federal-state relationships, legal challenges, and the allocation of state resources. The source context does not specify the financial cost of operating Alligator Alcatraz or the budgetary impact of the closure on Florida's state finances.

Legal challenges and advocacy response

Even before Alligator Alcatraz opened its doors, the site drew protests and lawsuits filed by immigrant rights groups, according to the source context. In July 2025, the American Civil Liberties Union and other groups filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over the facility. The ACLU alleged that there was a lack of access to it and that detainees lacked due process, according to the source context. State and federal officials have denied all allegations of torture and inhumane conditions at the detention facility.

The ACLU's Florida chapter celebrated the governor's announcement about the site's permanent shutdown. The organization posted on X that through pushback and litigation pressure, the people successfully closed the chapter on the facility's dark record. The Sierra Club of Florida also welcomed the closure and called for the state to permanently protect the national preserve around the facility from future development, fossil fuel exploration, and drilling, according to the source context.

What to watch next

Readers may watch for future disclosures about the operational status of Florida's Deportation Depot in Baker County, which the governor said will continue to operate. The source context does not specify whether the Alligator Alcatraz site will be repurposed, returned to federal control, or designated for environmental protection as advocacy groups have requested. Any future state or federal announcements about the site's long-term use would provide additional clarity.

The legal status of the ACLU lawsuit filed in July 2025 remains unspecified in the source context. Readers may also monitor whether other states adopt similar state-federal cooperation frameworks for immigration enforcement, given Florida's reported 40 percent share of immigrant arrests during President Trump's second term. The source context does not identify whether the closure of Alligator Alcatraz will affect the pace or geographic distribution of future deportations.

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