Florida plans to close ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ migrant detention center, New York Times reports

By Daphne Psaledakis and Ted Hesson

WASHINGTON, May 12 (Reuters) – Florida intends to shut down the controversial federal migrant detention center known as “Alligator Alcatraz”, the New York Times reported on Tuesday, citing a federal official and three people familiar with the facility’s operations.

According to the report, vendors were told by officials on Tuesday afternoon that the facility was closing and that detainees would be moved by the start of June. The facility, which cost about $250 million to build, would be broken down over the following weeks, according to the sources cited in the report.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A spokesperson for DHS, asked about the New York Times report, said the agency continues to evaluate detention needs and requirements to ensure they meet the latest operational requirements.

“Any reports that DHS is pressuring the state to cease operations at Alligator Alcatraz are false,” the spokesperson said.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement had held an average of about 1,400 detainees at the facility from October 1, 2025, through early April of this year, according to statistics from the agency. Advocates criticized the conditions in the facility, saying bright lights remained on 24 hours a day, detainees were denied medicine, and the remote location made it challenging to obtain legal counsel.

The facility was opened under former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s tenure and is located 37 miles (60 km) west of Miami in a vast subtropical wetland that is home to alligators, crocodiles and pythons – imagery that the White House leveraged to show its determination to remove migrants.

U.S. President Donald Trump, who has a home in Florida, has for a decade made aggressive immigration and border policies central to his political agenda.

(Reporting by Daphne Psaledakis and Ted Hesson; editing by Michelle Nichols)