Florida's 'Alligator Alcatraz' detention center shuts down, says official
Key takeaways
- Florida's controversial "Alligator Alcatraz" immigration detention centre, a symbol of US President Donald Trump's deportation drive, has closed after operating for less than a year, officials said on Thursday.
- Issued on: 25/06/2026 - 23:52Modified: 25/06/2026 - 23:55
- Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, appearing at the remote Everglades site with White House border czar Tom Homan, said the facility no longer held any detainees and had fulfilled the emergency role it was built to serve.
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Florida's controversial "Alligator Alcatraz" immigration detention centre, a symbol of US President Donald Trump's deportation drive, has closed after operating for less than a year, officials said on Thursday. Florida Governor Ron De Santis said the Everglades facility had emptied after fulfilling its emergency role despite criticism over detainees' conditions and due process.
Issued on: 25/06/2026 - 23:52Modified: 25/06/2026 - 23:55
By: FRANCE 24 U.S. President Donald Trump visits "Alligator Alcatraz," a migrant detention center in Ochopee, Florida, on July 1, 2025 © ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS, AFP The controversial "Alligator Alcatraz" immigration detention center -- a costly Florida facility that became a symbol of US President Donald Trump's deportation drive -- has shut down after less than a year in operation, officials said Thursday.