CounterPunch Exclusives

CounterPunch Exclusives

The Public Isn’t Budging on ICE’s Immigrant Detention Policies

Photograph by Nathaniel St. Clair

As the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency rapidly expands its carceral powers, immigrant detention centers around the United States have been facing relentless public scrutiny. It appears the pressure campaigns are finally having an impact as some centers are shutting down. While this doesn’t mean the Trump administration’s draconian anti-immigrant agenda is winding down anytime soon, it signals the importance of sustaining grassroots opposition.

The most significant closure—one that hasn’t garnered nearly enough media coverage—is Florida’s so-called Alligator Alcatraz. When it first opened in July 2025, the sprawling, hastily built complex located in the midst of South Florida’s Everglades became one of the ugliest symbols of President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda. Only a year later, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced it would be closed.

During its short lifespan, the center was notorious for its shockingly inhumane treatment of detained people, including torture and abuse. Republican Party officials, meanwhile, showed support for the center by selling “Alligator Alcatraz” merchandise, and Trump supporters were seen taking selfies before a large sign emblazoned with the prison’s nickname.

The detention center was named by Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, who boasted that the people being held there had “nowhere to go, nowhere to hide,” and that the facility was cheap to run because it was surrounded by alligators and pythons. While the Trump administration has claimed it wants to remove people from the country in a way that will “maximize efficiency, minimize costs,” it turns out Alligator Alcatraz was a money sink.

DeSantis justified the center’s $1.2 billion price tag, saying it had served its purpose because 21,000 people had been detained there at various times over the past year before being deported. But, compared to the average cost of holding people in immigrant detention, Alligator Alcatraz was more than 20 times as expensive.

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