Federal and State Officials Discuss Closing Florida’s ‘Alligator Alcatraz’
The New York Times • • general
Key Points:
- Florida is in preliminary talks with the Trump administration to shut down the Alligator Alcatraz immigration detention center in the Everglades due to high operational costs and perceived ineffectiveness.
- The facility, costing over $1 million daily to run, has faced financial strain with private vendors struggling to cover expenses.
- Governor Ron DeSantis has defended the center as a success and temporary, but critics, including immigration lawyers and activists, have condemned it for unsanitary and inhumane conditions.
- The Department of Homeland Security and Florida officials have not commented on the potential shutdown, which would be welcomed by detainees and their families.
