Immigration

DHS Reportedly Weighs Closing Florida's 'Alligator Alcatraz' Over Mounting Costs

Sources say the immigration detention center costs more than $1 million a day to run.

Autumn Billings | 5.7.2026 3:06 PM

Share on FacebookShare on XShare on RedditShare by emailPrint friendly versionCopy page URL Add Reason to Google

Media Contact & Reprint Requests

(Dave Decker/ZUMAPRESS/Newscom/Envato)

The first-of-its-kind, state-run immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades may soon be closed, a federal official told The New York Times on Thursday. Although the facility has been able to remain operational despite accusations of inhumane conditions, environmental law violations, and breaches of due process, the detention center may not be able to survive without federal funding that has yet to materialize. 

Talks between Florida officials and the Trump administration are in the preliminary stages, but "officials at the Department of Homeland Security [DHS] have concluded that it is too expensive to keep operating…Alligator Alcatraz,"........

© Reason.com