New York Times: ‘Alligator Alcatraz,’ the controversial Florida migrant detention facility, will close

By Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN

(CNN) — Florida will shutter its controversial “Alligator Alcatraz” migrant detention facility by early June, The New York Times and CNN affiliate WFOR report, citing sources.

Vendors at the site were told Tuesday that detainees will be removed by “the start of” June and the center will be dismantled in the following weeks, three people familiar with the facility’s operations told The New York Times.

WFOR reported similar details about notices given to state contractors who run the facility, citing four sources familiar with the announcement.

Though the facility, embedded deep in the Florida Everglades, has been touted by Republicans as a valuable tool in President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, the closure follows nearly a year of legal challenges, mounting operation costs and allegations of inhumane conditions.

Last week, the Times reported Florida was in talks with the Trump administration about shutting down the facility, which has cost the state millions of dollars to run.

Gov. Ron DeSantis acknowledged the talks during remarks last week and said the facility was always intended to be temporary.

“If we shut the lights out tomorrow, we will be able to say it served its purpose,” DeSantis said Thursday.

When asked about reports that “Alligator Alcatraz” will shut down, DeSantis’ office late Tuesday referred CNN to the Florida Division of Emergency Management, which oversees the facility.

A spokesperson for the Division of Emergency Management reiterated DeSantis’ comment from last week and added, “If federal operational needs evolve and the Department of Homeland Security implements alternative plans for the South Florida detention facility, the state will pivot accordingly.”

The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement to CNN on Tuesday “any reports that DHS is pressuring the state to cease operations at Alligator Alcatraz are false.”

“Florida continues to be a valuable partner in advancing President Trump’s immigration agenda, and DHS appreciates their support. DHS continuously evaluates detention needs and requirements to ensure they meet the latest operational requirements,” the agency said.

It is not immediately clear where the detainees will be taken. The site held nearly 1,400 people as of early April, according to ICE data. DeSantis indicated last week that if the program was shuttered, detainees may be placed in DHS facilities and the small airport that has housed “Alligator Alcatraz” would return to normal operations.

The facility, which is less than 50 miles west of Trump’s Miami beach resort, was opened by the state last summer after being speedily erected on the runway of the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport. It invited immediate backlash from Democratic lawmakers, immigrant rights groups, environmentalists and tribal groups whose lands flank the facility.

Democrats who visited the facility last summer described hundreds of migrants confined in cages and subjected to sweltering heat, bug infestations and meager meals. Though detainees’ families have also expressed alarm, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials have defended the facility as offering higher detention standards than many US prisons.

“Alligator Alcatraz” has overcome previous existential threats in court. Last month, an appellate court vacated a lower court’s order for state officials to shut down and dismantle the facility.

After complaints from families and detainees about limited access to attorneys, another lawsuit recently resulted in a ruling that detainees must be given better access to their lawyers, as well as confidential, unmonitored outgoing phone calls.

CNN’s Michael Williams contributed to this report.

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