Immigration

ICE Says It's Moved Detainees Out of 'Alligator Alcatraz' For Hurricane Season

Civil rights and environmentalists vowed to keep fighting in court until the detention camp is torn down and returned to its original state.

C.J. Ciaramella | 6.18.2026 2:55 PM

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(Photo: Pedro Portal/TNS/Newscom)

After reports that the Trump administration and state of Florida are considering abandoning the "Alligator Alcatraz" detention center in the Florida Everglades, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) says it has transferred detainees out of the tent camp in preparation for hurricane season.

Florida news outlet WINK News first reported Tuesday that all detainees had been moved out of the Everglades detention camp. "As we enter into hurricane season, ICE and the state of Florida have moved illegal aliens from the soft sided facility. For the safety of the illegal alien detainees, we transferred them to other facilities," an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) official told the outlet.

A DHS spokesperson gave an identical statement to Reason. DHS did not respond to follow-up questions asking if the camp was currently empty and if it would resume operations after hurricane season.

At a press conference Tuesday, Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said the camp had always been a temporary solution to help the federal government ramp up immigration enforcement after it had been "neutered" by the Biden administration. With the recent huge increases in funding to DHS and more cooperation between the federal government and Florida law enforcement, DeSantis said the camp may have served its purpose.

"We were never going to make that a........

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