Florida’s flashpoint facility, dubbed Alligator Alcatraz, may soon hold exactly zero detainees, effectively ending its dramatic and disastrous debut.
State Emergency Management boss Kevin Guthrie confirmed in an August 22 email to Rabbi Mario Rojzman that the controversial Everglades detention site is “probably going to be down to 0 individuals within a few days.” That message came on the heels of a federal judge’s blistering order forcing the state to clear out the camp and dismantle it within 60 days.
And just like that, $450 million of YOUR taxpayer dollars down the drain. All for this cruel spectacle that nobody asked for. https://t.co/D2WIUzCvGx
— Congressman Maxwell Alejandro Frost (@RepMaxwellFrost) August 27, 2025
The $250 million compound was meant to be a crown jewel of Florida’s hardline immigration push. Built on a decommissioned airstrip in the heart of the Everglades, it was supposed to process and hold thousands of detainees. Instead, it quickly spiraled into a legal, financial, and political nightmare.
Just weeks after opening in July, lawsuits were filed. The Miccosukee Tribe and environmental advocates accused the state of violating the National Environmental Policy Act, pointing to the ecological dangers of placing a sprawling facility in such a fragile wetland.
Judge Kathleen M. Williams agreed, writing that “every Florida governor, every Florida senator, and countless local and national political figures, including presidents, have publicly pledged their unequivocal support for the restoration, conservation, and protection of the Everglades. This order does nothing more than uphold the basic requirements of legislation designed to fulfill those promises.”
WASTE! FRAUD! ABUSE!
Send the $400 million bill to Ron DeSantis and Donald Trump.
🚨Alligator Alcatraz will be empty within days, according to an email obtained by ABC News. pic.twitter.com/BhlSGUWMpz
— Christopher Webb (@cwebbonline) August 28, 2025
The facility’s treatment of detainees only added fuel to the fire. Reports described substandard living conditions, including sweltering tents, poor sanitation, and even allegations of vermin in the food. One detainee told CNN that being held there felt like a “type of torture.” With stories like that surfacing, the nickname “Alligator Alcatraz” took on a darker meaning, painting the camp as more of a swamp prison than a legitimate holding facility.
Governor Ron DeSantis has pushed back against the shutdown, insisting that the state still needs detention capacity as deportations ramp up. He emphasized that the federal Department of Homeland Security oversees the “pacing” of transfers and that Florida is merely providing support. Doubling down, he touted plans for a new facility in north Florida he has branded the “Deportation Depot.”
Still, the ruling is a major blow to his immigration agenda and to Florida taxpayers. The facility costs between $218 and $245 million to build, and experts estimate it will take another $15 to $20 million to dismantle. If the state attempts to rebuild elsewhere, the cost could double. Critics have blasted the project as an enormous waste of public money that was doomed from the start.
For the Miccosukee Tribe, environmental groups, and immigrant rights advocates, however, the judge’s ruling is a landmark victory. They argue it not only protects the Everglades but also prevents further abuses against vulnerable detainees. Supporters of the closure argue that it demonstrates the courts’ willingness to challenge reckless spending and policies that disregard both human rights and environmental laws.
In just two months, Alligator Alcatraz went from being a showpiece of political bravado to a costly cautionary tale. Now, with detainees set to be moved and the swamp poised to reclaim the land, the saga of Florida’s most infamous detention camp looks to be ending not with a bang, but with a slow, court-ordered whimper.
