Florida Shuts Down «Alligator Alcatraz» Immigration Detention Center After Nearly 21,000 Deportations

Florida closes Alligator Alcatraz.

Nearly 21,000 deportations recorded.

No detainees remain at the facility.

The Alligator Alcatraz Florida immigration detention center, located west of Miami, will cease operations after participating in nearly 21,000 deportations, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced Thursday during a visit to the facility.

Why it matters: The closure marks the end of one of the most recognizable Florida immigration detention centers of President Donald Trump’s second administration and revives debate over the role these facilities play in U.S. immigration enforcement.

Ron DeSantis confirms the facility no longer houses detainees

Alligator Alcatraz Immigration Detention Center Shut Down – PHOTO: Shutterstock

During the announcement, DeSantis said the facility is now completely empty and that all remaining detainees have been transferred to continue under federal custody.

«Today it has zero detainees. It has helped remove many dangerous individuals from the streets—not only from the state of Florida, but from the United States of America. The detainees who were here remain in federal custody. Demobilization efforts at this facility are now underway,» DeSantis said.

The governor explained that the shutdown process has already begun and that the administrative demobilization of the complex is currently underway, although he did not provide a timeline for completing the closure.

Alligator Alcatraz became a symbol of U.S. immigration policy

Since opening, the Alligator Alcatraz Florida immigration detention center generated controversy over both its operations and its role in the immigration enforcement strategies implemented during President Donald Trump’s administration.

The facility processed nearly 21,000 deportations, making it one of the best-known immigration detention centers in Florida.

Its name and operation became a focal point in the debate between supporters of stricter immigration enforcement and critics of large-scale detention facilities.

With Thursday’s announcement, the complex has officially stopped receiving detainees and has entered its administrative shutdown phase.

Detainees remain in federal custody

Although the facility no longer houses migrants, DeSantis emphasized that the individuals previously detained at Alligator Alcatraz have not been released.

According to the governor, all remain in federal custody while their immigration proceedings continue elsewhere.

He stated that the facility fulfilled its mission by removing individuals considered dangerous from communities and reiterated that this had been one of its primary objectives.

At the same time, he confirmed that the demobilization process is already underway, bringing the facility’s operations to an end.

Immigration detention center closure reignites debate over U.S. immigration policy

The closure of the Alligator Alcatraz Florida immigration detention center comes at a time when immigration remains one of the most divisive political issues in the United States.

During its operation, the facility became a symbol of the immigration enforcement measures implemented during President Donald Trump’s second term.

Now, with its closure, Florida brings an end to a detention center that played a central role in national discussions surrounding border security, migrant detention, and immigration law enforcement.

The decision announced by DeSantis closes one chapter for the facility while the broader debate over the future of U.S. immigration policy continues.

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Source: EFE.