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Controversial Everglades Detention Facility 'Alligator Alcatraz' Nearing Complete Shutdown
THE EVERGLADES, Florida — New evidence suggests that a controversial immigration detention facility located deep within the Florida Everglades is reaching its final days of operation.
On Tuesday, U.S. Representative Maxwell Frost conducted an oversight visit to the high-security site, colloquially known as "Alligator Alcatraz," and reported highly visible signs that the complex is actively winding down its operations. While Governor Ron DeSantis has neither confirmed nor denied reports of an official closure, the physical landscape inside the facility tells a different story.
During his walkthrough, Congressman Frost observed a completely deserted intake area, a massive housing tent that had already been entirely disassembled, and a sharply declining presence of both on-site staff and detainees. According to recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) data, the facility housed nearly 1,500 detainees just last month. At the time of Frost's visit on Tuesday, only 655 detainees remained inside the facility, with charter flights actively departing from the complex's private airstrip to transfer the remaining individuals.
Facility administrators informed Frost that once the final detainee is successfully transferred out, it will take between 15 and 30 days to completely dismantle and remove the remaining temporary infrastructure from the Everglades ecosystem.
Despite the apparent dissolution of the physical camp, Frost and fellow congressional Democrats emphasized that their intense scrutiny of the operation will not vanish with the structures. Lawmakers are pivoting toward a strict accountability campaign, raising serious concerns over government spending and humanitarian logistics.
"Number one, we want to ensure that the families and attorneys know where people are being sent," Representative Frost stated, noting the confusion surrounding sudden transfers. "The second thing is we're shifting to accountability here. We can't allow this place to shut down and then just forget about it. A billion dollars of our money was wasted here."
Investigative teams are continuing to press both the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Florida Division of Emergency Management for internal communications, operational records, and financial audits regarding the site's brief and tumultuous operational history.
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By: NBC Palm Springs
May 26, 2026
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