The Trump administration has dismissed claims that the migrant detention center in the middle of the Florida Everglades, dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz,” is set to close for good.
According to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday, the facility was never meant to be permanent.
At the same time, DeSantis said, he hasn't received any official word that detainees will no longer be sent there, saying the state only processes the new detainees once they get there, but the federal government is in charge of sending them to the facility.
DeSantis also said the federal government has other places to send the detainees, but did not elaborate further.
Homeland Security chief Markwayne Mullin said the department has no near-term plan to shut it down.
Mullin noted there are plans in place to evacuate detainees for such natural disaster emergencies if needed.
The facility, which costs about $250 million to build, first opened under the leadership of former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
Located 37 miles west of Miami, the migrant detention center sits within a vast subtropical wetland inhabited by alligators and crocodiles. The Trump administration touted the optics of the facility to underscore its commitment to removing illegal immigrants.
Migrant advocates criticized the conditions of the facility, claiming its remote location made it challenging for detainees to obtain legal counsel. They also said bright lights remained on 24 hours a day and detainees were denied medicine.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement had held an average of about 1,400 detainees at the center from Oct. 1, 2025, through early April of this year, according to the agency.