WFOR reported similar details<\/a> about notices given to state contractors who run the facility, citing four sources familiar with the announcement.<\/p>\n Though the facility, embedded deep in the Florida Everglades, has been touted by Republicans as a valuable tool in President Donald Trump\u2019s immigration crackdown, the closure follows nearly a year of legal challenges, mounting operation costs and allegations of inhumane conditions.<\/p>\n Last week, the Times reported<\/a> Florida was in talks with the Trump administration about shutting down the facility, which has cost the state millions of dollars to run.<\/p>\n Gov. Ron DeSantis acknowledged the talks during remarks last week and said the facility was always intended to be temporary.<\/p>\n \u201cIf we shut the lights out tomorrow, we will be able to say it served its purpose,\u201d DeSantis said Thursday.<\/p>\n Work progresses on a new migrant detention facility dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz,” at Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport in the Florida Everglades, on July 4, 2025, in Ochopee, Florida. – Rebecca Blackwell\/AP\/File<\/p>\n The Department of Homeland Security reiterated to CNN on Tuesday \u201cany reports that DHS is pressuring the state to cease operations at Alligator Alcatraz are false.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFlorida continues to be a valuable partner in advancing President Trump\u2019s immigration agenda, and DHS appreciates their support. DHS continuously evaluates detention needs and requirements to ensure they meet the latest operational requirements,\u201d the agency said.<\/p>\n CNN has sought comment from the Florida Division of Emergency Management and DeSantis\u2019 office, but has not received a response.<\/p>\n It is not immediately clear where the detainees will be taken. The site held nearly 1,400 people as of early April, according to ICE data<\/a>. DeSantis indicated last week that if the program was shuttered, detainees may be placed in DHS facilities and the small airport that has housed \u201cAlligator Alcatraz\u201d would return to normal operations.<\/p>\n The facility, which is less than 50 miles west of Trump\u2019s Miami beach resort, was opened by the state<\/a> last summer after being speedily erected on the runway of the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport. It invited immediate backlash from Democratic lawmakers, immigrant rights groups, environmentalists and tribal groups whose lands flank the facility.<\/p>\n Democrats who visited the facility<\/a> last summer described hundreds of migrants confined in cages and subjected to sweltering heat, bug infestations and meager meals. Though detainees\u2019 families have also expressed alarm, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials have defended the facility as offering higher detention standards than many US prisons.<\/p>\n \u201cAlligator Alcatraz\u201d has overcome previous existential threats in court. Last month, an appellate court vacated a lower court\u2019s order for state officials to shut down and dismantle the facility.<\/p>\n After complaints from families and detainees about limited access to attorneys, another lawsuit recently resulted in a ruling<\/a> that detainees must be given better access to their lawyers, as well as confidential, unmonitored outgoing phone calls.<\/p>\n CNN\u2019s Michael Williams contributed to this report. <\/p>\n![\"Work](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/011df62b813983d06e7a8337f0c26d94.jpeg\"\/)
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