“Alligator Alcatraz” permanently closed it’s doors on June 25, 2026. The closure of the controversial immigration detention facility stationed in Collier/Miami-Dade County is considered a victory by many civil rights and environmental organizations due to the possible environmental impact it had on the Everglades wetland.
One year from it’s opening, the temporary immigration detention facility was officially shut down by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
“It served its purpose for the time,” the Gov. Desantis said. “There is no question this mission has made the state of Florida safer.”
The camp was only an emergency, temporary solution until the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had sufficient capacity to handle processing and deportations. Additionally, advocates had raised alarms about the safety of keeping detainees there ahead of hurricane season. Official s said “hurricane season made it unsafe to keep them in the Everglades,” AP reported. The temporary facility was built on an isolated airstrip at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport in the Florida Everglades.
“The Everglades has had a long history of resistance; time and time again we have seen it used by those being persecuted and targeted for harm as a safe haven, Marcelo Balladares, Sierra Club Florida Chapter Everglades Organizer, said. “The detention center shined a light on the importance of standing up for our communities as a grassroots organization. When our communities are put in harm’s way, it is not long before our environment is in the crosshairs.”
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