WASHINGTON — Senior Trump administration officials have discussed the possible closure of a controversial South Florida immigration detention center known as "Alligator Alcatraz," White House border czar Tom Homan confirmed on May 7, saying the talks are part of a broader review of detention contracts and capacity needs.
"We're talking about it. We're talking about a lot of detention facilities," Homan told reporters when asked whether the state-run Everglades facility might be shut down just one year after it opened. Homan framed the discussions as part of the administration's effort to expand and reconfigure detention capacity nationwide, including an ambitious goal of "filling out 100,000 beds."
The preliminary talks were first reported by the New York Times, which said Florida officials have discussed closure with federal counterparts because the site has proved expensive and operationally inefficient. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis confirmed the conversations at a May 7 news conference but characterized the facility as a success, saying it has "housed 22,000 detainees" since opening and noting the center was always intended to be temporary. DeSantis added that the federal government intends to reimburse the state for operating costs if it does shut down.
State officials have publicly cited the facility's steep cost. The New York Times reported the center costs Florida about $1 million a day to operate. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement figures show 1,383 detainees were being held at Alligator Alcatraz as of the most recent count, far below the 5,000-bed figure officials projected when the site was established.
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The Everglades complex — located approximately 37 miles from Miami in an area known for alligators, crocodiles and pythons — became a political emblem of the administration's hard-line immigration stance after President Trump toured it in July 2025. The White House highlighted the facility's remote setting as part of its messaging on deterrence; critics have seized on that imagery and raised broader concerns about the conditions and cost of the site.
Beyond operational questions, the facility has attracted controversy over detainee treatment. Advocacy groups have alleged that some detainees were subjected to abusive conditions, even calling them "torture," though Homan did not address those specific claims in his remarks. He did suggest that fewer federal detention resources are needed in Florida than in so-called sanctuary jurisdictions, saying the state has been cooperatively "working with us to remove public safety threats."
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No formal decision to close Alligator Alcatraz has been announced. Administration officials say the facility’s future will be weighed alongside other detention centers in ongoing contract reviews and capacity planning, leaving the facility's fate undetermined as talks continue.
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