{"id":311835,"date":"2026-06-18T15:07:40","date_gmt":"2026-06-18T15:07:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/311835\/"},"modified":"2026-06-18T15:07:40","modified_gmt":"2026-06-18T15:07:40","slug":"ice-empties-alligator-alcatraz-amid-hurricane-season-activists-arent-buying-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/311835\/","title":{"rendered":"ICE empties \u2018Alligator Alcatraz\u2019 amid hurricane season. Activists aren\u2019t buying it"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Credit: Photo by Dave Decker<\/p>\n

Federal immigration authorities say they\u2019ve emptied the so-called \u201cAlligator Alcatraz\u201d lockup amid hurricane fears, transferring detainees to other facilities. But advocacy groups suing the state aren\u2019t buying their explanation.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey built it and filled it with people during the hurricane season last year, so that makes no sense,\u201d attorney Paul Schwiep, representing the Friends of the Everglades in a year-long bid to shutter the remote center, said during a Zoom press conference Wednesday.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow stupid do they think we are?\u201d<\/p>\n

Other environmental group representatives alleged that authorities lack transparency, pointing to WINK News\u2019 Tuesday report that ICE and state officials had quietly moved detainees from the facility, located deep within the Everglades, because of the hurricane season that began June 1.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAs we enter into hurricane season, ICE and the state of Florida have moved illegal aliens from the soft-sided facility,\u201d an ICE spokesperson told the Phoenix. \u201cFor the safety of the illegal alien detainees, we transferred them to other facilities.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jessica Natham, a nature enjoyer who said she frequents the area outside the center, said Wednesday that the facility doesn\u2019t look like it\u2019s winding down. She reported seeing transport buses and vendors still on site, including jet fuel being brought onto the property.<\/p>\n

But ICE\u2019s announcement \u2014 aside from its reasoning for emptying the center \u2014 wasn\u2019t unexpected. For weeks, reports abounded that state and federal authorities planned to scale down operations \u2014 even though Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Department of Homeland Security insisted there were no \u201cofficial\u201d talks about shutting down.<\/p>\n

Neither ICE nor the governor\u2019s office responded to questions about whether this is a permanent move. ICE also didn\u2019t explain the differences in severity of the 2026 hurricane season versus the 2025 hurricane season, considering the center was built in late June 2025 and opened that July 1.<\/p>\n

Ahead of the center\u2019s opening, Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie claimed the lockup could withstand a Category 2 hurricane.<\/p>\n

Wednesday\u2019s press conference was hosted by representatives for Friends of the Everglades, the Center for Biological Diversity, and Earthjustice \u2014 all groups that have sued Florida over alleged\u00a0environmental threats<\/a>\u00a0posed by the facility.<\/p>\n

Most recently, the groups claimed the state violated the National Environmental Protection Act because it hadn\u2019t completed a federal environmental study ahead of construction. But an appellate court disagreed, saying the facility is state run so not subject to federal environmental laws.<\/p>\n

The case has been\u00a0kicked back<\/a>\u00a0to the trial court for final resolution.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018Alligator Alcatraz\u2019 will go down as one of the biggest failures in American history,\u201d said Eve Samples, executive director of Friends of the Everglades. \u201cOur government failed to protect the Everglades and failed to follow basic environmental laws \u2014 while racking up a\u00a0$1 billion tab<\/a>\u00a0paid by taxpayers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Subscribe to Orlando Weekly newsletters.<\/a><\/p>\n

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