Deportation flights from Florida's 'Alligator Alcatraz' detention center
have begun, DeSantis says
[July 26, 2025]
BY JOHN SEEWER
Deportation flights from the remote Everglades immigration lockup known
as Alligator Alcatraz have begun and are expected to increase soon,
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Friday.
The first flights operated by the Department of Homeland Security have
transferred about 100 detainees from the immigration detention center to
other countries, DeSantis said during a news conference near the
facility.
“You’re going to see the numbers go up dramatically,” he said.
Two or three flights have already departed, but officials didn't say
where those flights headed.
Critics have condemned the South Florida facility as cruel and inhumane.
DeSantis and other Republican officials have defended it as part of the
state’s aggressive push to support President Donald Trump’s crackdown on
illegal immigration.
Building the facility in the Everglades and naming it after a notorious
federal prison were meant as deterrents, DeSantis and other officials
have said.
The White House has delighted in the area’s remoteness — about 50 miles
(80 kilometers) west of Miami — and the fact that it is teeming with
pythons and alligators. It hopes to send a message that repercussions
will be severe if U.S. immigration laws are broken.
Trump has suggested that his administration could reopen Alcatraz, the
notorious island prison in San Francisco Bay. The White House also has
sent some immigrants awaiting deportation to a detention lockup in
Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, and others to a megaprison in El Salvador.
The Everglades facility was built in a matter of days over 10 square
miles (26 square kilometers). It features more than 200 security cameras
and more than 5 miles (8 kilometers) of barbed wire. An adjacent runway
makes it more convenient for homeland security officials to move
detainees in and out of the site.
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This image from a video feed shows Gov. Ron DeSantis speaking about
deportation flights from the remote Everglades immigration lockup
known as ”Alligator Alcatraz″ on July 25, 2025 in Ochopee, Florida.
(AP Photo via Office Of Florida Governor Ron Desantis)
It currently holds about 2,000 people, with the potential to double the
capacity, Florida Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie said
Friday.
DeSantis wants the U.S. Justice Department to allow an immigration judge
on site to speed up the deportation process.
“This was never intended to be something where people are just held,” he
said. “The whole purpose is to be a place that can facilitate increased
frequency and numbers of deportations.”
Critics have challenged federal and state officials’ contention that the
detention center is just run by the state of Florida. Environmental
groups suing to stop further construction and expansion demanded
Thursday to see agreements or communications between state and federal
officials and to visit the site.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operates deportation flights
mainly from a few hubs, including Harlingen, Texas; Alexandria,
Louisiana; and Mesa, Arizona. Others are scattered across the country.
There were just over 200 flights in June, according to Witness at the
Border, an advocacy group that analyzes flight data. It was the highest
tally since the group started keeping track in January 2020.
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Associated Press writers Mike Schneider and Elliot Spagat contributed.
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