"Alligator Alcatraz" Detention Center to Shutter
The report, citing a federal official and three people familiar with the facility’s operations, said vendors were told Tuesday afternoon that the site would close and that the structure would be dismantled in the following weeks. The facility cost about $250 million to build.
Florida officials reportedly plan to shut down the controversial federal migrant detention center known as “Alligator Alcatraz,” with detainees expected to be moved by the start of June, according to The New York Times.
The report, citing a federal official and three people familiar with the facility’s operations, said vendors were told Tuesday afternoon that the site would close and that the structure would be dismantled in the following weeks. The facility cost about $250 million to build.
The detention center, located about 37 miles west of Miami in a remote wetland area known for alligators, crocodiles and pythons, became one of the most visible symbols of President Donald Trump’s hardline immigration policy. The White House had used the site’s harsh geography and nickname to emphasize its approach to migrant detention and deportation.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson did not confirm the closure, saying the agency continues to evaluate detention needs and operational requirements. The spokesperson denied any suggestion that DHS had pressured Florida to stop operations at the site.
“Any reports that DHS is pressuring the state to cease operations at Alligator Alcatraz are false,” the spokesperson said.
The facility opened during the tenure of former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and has been used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement to hold migrants in federal custody. ICE held an average of about 1,400 detainees there from October 1, 2025, through early April 2026, according to agency statistics.
Immigration advocates have sharply criticized conditions at the facility. They said detainees were held under bright lights around the clock, denied medication and placed in a remote location that made access to lawyers difficult. Critics also argued that the facility’s image was deliberately punitive and designed to send a political message rather than meet detention needs.
The reported shutdown comes as the Trump administration continues to expand other migrant detention capacity, including large facilities in Texas and other states. It was not immediately clear where detainees currently held at the Florida site would be transferred.
Trump has made immigration enforcement central to his political agenda for more than a decade, and his administration has continued to pursue mass deportations, expanded detention and stricter border policies during his second term.
The possible closure of Alligator Alcatraz would mark the end of one of the administration’s most controversial detention sites, though not a retreat from its broader immigration enforcement strategy.