Governor Ron DeSantis says the federal government hasn’t given the official word that it's stopping the transfer of people to the immigration detention center known as Alligator Alcatraz.
Reporting from The New York Times, found the state was in talks with the federal government about closing the facility after it “cost the state hundreds of millions of dollars to operate.”
Speaking in Titusville Wednesday, DeSantis said Alligator Alcatraz was never going to be a permanent facility.
“When we opened it in the summer of 2025 it was always intended to be temporary, because we were only doing it because the federal government didn't have the resources to hold these people themselves,” DeSantis said.
It's been less than a year since Alligator Alcatraz opened back in July of 2025, costing roughly around $1.5 billion to operate according to a breakdown from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
With help from the Department of Homeland Security, DeSantis said the detention center held and deported over 22,000 people.
“We've seen so many times where people who shouldn't be here get put back on the street, and then we see the victims as a result,” DeSantis said. “So being able to fill that void, where at the time, the federal government did not have the resources to do it no question that saved lives, no question it increased public safety, and no question it's the right thing to do to defend the sovereignty of this country.”
