All ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ detainees moved out of Florida Everglades facility

"Alligator Alcatraz," the controversial immigrant detention facility nestled in the Florida Everglades, sits empty of all detainees Wednesday after they were transferred to other facilities, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) revealed.

Big picture view:

The agency reported that every detainee had been moved, but it did not indicate how many had been held there or where they were taken. The mass transfer was not because of the controversies that have surrounded the facility, officially known as the South Florida Detention facility, but because of the weather. 

What they're saying:

DHS explained they relocated the detainees because of the start of hurricane season, which runs from June through November. 

"For the safety of the illegal alien detainees, we transferred them to other facilities," department spokesperson Lauren Bis said in an emailed statement. DHS did not say if detainees would return to the southern Florida location after hurricane season ends.

The backstory:

The detention center has been in operation for 11 months, having opened in July of last year, which would have been a month into the 2025 hurricane season. The Sunshine State escaped last year without any storms making landfall. 

The facility has been a lightning rod for controversy since before it opened. Critics have argued that detainees have been mistreated, had limited access to legal counsel, and have dealt with poor living conditions that included worms in food, toilets that don’t flush, and flooded floors with fecal waste. 

Immigration activists have also stated that the tents on the abandoned airstrip were not safe or humane to hold people. Federal and state officials have countered that the facility could withstand a hurricane. 

In May, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said the South Florida Detention Facility was meant to be temporary and had deported 22,000 detainees since opening.

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