Is 'Alligator Alcatraz' closing? Florida congressman speaks at ICE detention center
OCHOPEE, Fla. - As Florida has expanded its number of ICE detention centers in the state – with the addition of "Deportation Depot" in 2025 and a possible facility coming to Orlando – state leaders are speaking about the possible closure of "Alligator Alcatraz" in Collier County.
The Everglades Detention Facility, also called "Alligator Alcatraz," is located near Ochopee at the abandoned Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport.
What we know:
On May 26, U.S. Representative Maxwell Frost, FL-10, spoke on reports that "Alligator Alcatraz" is expected to close in June with the over 1,400 detainees the facility is holding to be transferred. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Department of Homeland Security have not confirmed the closure or a specific date, but DeSantis has mentioned several times that "Alligator Alcatraz" was "always meant to be temporary."
"It’s clearly temporary," DeSantis said in January. "How temporary will depend on the pace that they have in terms of doing the expansion. We would anticipate that at some point they're going to up their own capacity."
DeSantis also shared plans to expand ICE detention centers to Northwest Florida, calling it a "Panhandle-Pokey."
Read more: ICE detention center in Orlando? What we know
I’m on my way to "Alligator Alcatraz" right now to check on the people being detained there and get answers about human rights violations and environmental concerns. I’ll update y’all afterwards. pic.twitter.com/gyOMlD5xoR
— Congressman Maxwell Alejandro Frost (@RepMaxwellFrost) May 26, 2026
Why is Rep. Maxwell Frost visiting ‘Alligator Alcatraz'?
Before Frost's press conference, he shared his views on the facility's rumored closure, saying, "Hopefully, for the last time, I am on my way to Alligator Alcatraz."
In an X post, Frost said he's traveling to "Alligator Alcatraz" to observe "environmental concerns," he said, planning to conduct oversight on the treatment of the immigrants, including running bathrooms, running water and having the right amount of phones.
"A lot of times, when a facility is being shut down, those things get pushed aside," Frost said. He also plans to get clarity regarding the alleged shutdown and what will happen to the detainees.
Following Frost's visit to the detention center on May 26, he said DeSantis and President Donald Trump aren't confirming the closure of "Alligator Alcatraz." Frost alleged this is because of the $1 million a day to operate the faculty, calling "Alligator Alcatraz" a "failure."
"Now, after wasting millions in taxpayer dollars and facing ongoing environmental lawsuits, this failed experiment in human suffering is finally closing," Frost previously said in a May 12 statement after reports of the facility's closure.
Are detainees being moved out of ‘Alligator Alcatraz'?
Frost described his observations as a "facility that's being wound down and shut down," Frost said in an X post on May 26. "They're not getting any new people, they're just sending people to other facilities. There are 655 folks in it right now, when, just a few weeks ago, there were 1,400 people."
Frost said he saw people being loaded onto a flight and sent to another facility. Two flights were scheduled for Tuesday.
Additionally, Frost said the facility's processing center was previously "packed with people being processed and staff," but on Tuesday, he saw two or three staff members. A lot of the offices appeared to be cleared out, he said.
Where are Florida's ICE detention centers?
In Florida, ICE's website lists eight locations used as detention facilities, field centers or processing centers.
- Baker County. Located at the former Baker Correctional Institution, the Baker County Detention Center, also dubbed the "Deportation Depot" in Sanderson, opened in August 2025 and has the capacity to hold over 1,300 detainees. Ninety-three deportation flights have left the facility that's been operating for four months, DeSantis said – deporting over 2,000 individuals.
- Pompano Beach. Operated by The GEO Group, is the Broward Transition Center.
- Miami. Located in Miami is the Federal Detention Center.
- Moore Haven. Located at the Glades County Jail, is the Glades County Detention Center.
- Miami. Located west of Miami, is the Krome North Service Processing Center.
- Bunnell: The Flagler County Detention Facility is located at the Flagler County Sheriff's Office.
- Ochopee: Florida Soft Sided Facility South is located near the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport.
- Bristol: Liberty County Sheriff's Office is operating as a detention facility.
What we don't know:
Officials have not confirmed when "Alligator Alcatraz" is closing.
The Source: Information in this story was gathered from the Office of Florida Rep. Maxwell Frost, the Department of Homeland Security and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.