ICE Empties 'Alligator Alcatraz' Detention Center Over Hurricane Safety

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Homeland Security transferred all detainees from the South Florida Detention Facility, colloquially known as Alligator Alcatraz, between June 16 and June 19, 2026. Federal officials cited the start of the Atlantic hurricane season and the emergence of Tropical Storm Arthur as the primary safety justifications for the move. Detainees were relocated to various facilities across the United States, including sites in Washington, Colorado, Texas, and Louisiana.

Ron DeSantis, the Governor of Florida, stated the facility was always a temporary measure intended to last six months to a year. The site, a soft-sided camp located at a remote airstrip in the Big Cypress National Preserve, opened in July 2025 to support the immigration crackdown of the Donald Trump administration. It processed approximately 22,000 detainees and cost taxpayers an estimated $1.2 million per day.

Critics, including the American Civil Liberties Union and The Workers Circle, dismissed the hurricane rationale as a pretext to avoid lawsuits and high operational costs, noting the facility originally opened during the previous hurricane season. Environmental groups, such as Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity, are resuming federal lawsuits to ensure the permanent closure of the site and the restoration of the harmed Everglades ecosystem. While the state estimates cleanup costs at $40 million, the federal government has not confirmed if the facility is permanently closed.