All detainees removed from Florida’s “Alligator Alcatraz,” Gov. DeSantis announces

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis held a news conference at “Alligator Alcatraz” on Thursday morning and announced that its mission has been fulfilled and there are no more detainees at the controversial immigration detention facility.     

DeSantis was joined by White House Border Czar Tom Homan, and Florida State Board of Immigration Enforcement Executive Director Anthony Coker.

The news conference making the announceent began around 11:30 a.m.

Earlier this week, CBS News Miami’s Jim DeFede reported that vendors hired by the state to operate “Alligator Alcatraz” were notified that they were to begin “full demobilization” of the facility, quietly bringing a close to the $1.2 billion experiment that had once been hailed by DeSantis and President Donald Trump as a model that other states should pursue, according to sources.

According to those sources, the final few detainees left the facility last week and were either transferred to other detention centers or were deported. At the time, federal and state officials said the move was for safety concerns over the start of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season.

They had even suggested that the facility would remain ready to take on new detainees.

The decision to close the facility has been speculated for the past two months, with even DeSantis previously saying he expected it to close soon.

“If we shut the lights out tomorrow, we will be able to say it served its purpose,” DeSantis said earlier this month during a press conference.

Conditions at the detention center have been harshly criticized by lawyers, families and human rights groups, who claimed detainees were routinely mistreated. 

Amnesty International also issued a highly critical report on conditions inside the facility.

Miami-Dade mayor proposes turning “Alligator Alcatraz” site into protected Everglades land

Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava announced Thursday that her administration intends to pursue the permanent conservation of county-owned land currently occupied by “Alligator Alcatraz.”

In a memorandum to the Miami-Dade county commissioners, Levine Cava said her administration will evaluate the legal process needed to sell and transfer all county-controlled land at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport (TNT) to the National Park Service and other authorized Everglades restoration partners.

The goal, she said, is to incorporate the property into the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan, one of the nation’s largest environmental restoration efforts.

“From the very beginning, I have raised serious concerns about the ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ detention facility because people have been held there in inhumane conditions without meaningful due process, while occupying land alongside one of the world’s most precious natural ecosystems,” Levine Cava said in a statement. 

“Once this facility is decommissioned, we have an opportunity to permanently protect these lands for Everglades restoration and ensure they remain protected for generations to come. That is the legacy we should leave,” she added.

According to Mayor Levine Cava, a review found the TNT facility no longer represents the property’s best long-term use, citing its remote location, limited aviation value, significant maintenance costs and reduced compatibility with surrounding conservation lands.

Levine Cava’s office said they will work with federal and state agencies, tribal governments and environmental restoration officials to determine the best legal mechanism for transferring the land.