High operational cost cited for Alligator Alcatraz's closing

Wednesday, June 17, 2026

Florida will soon close Alligator Alcatraz, a highly publicized immigration detention center that opened in the Everglades less than a year ago, according to multiple news reports citing unidentified officials. Companies hired to run the detention center were told May 12 that the facility would be shut down in June, the New York Times and CBS News reported. The cost of operating the center is the reason.

Posted by lamplighter at 01:59 PM | 3 COMMENTS | permalink | Comment on This Entry |

Alternate links: Google News | Twitter

Comments

Admin's note: Participants in this discussion must follow the site's moderation policy. Profanity will be filtered. Abusive conduct is not allowed.

More from the article ...

... Documents obtained in March by the Naples Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Network, indicated $1 million per day was spent on Alligator Alcatraz.

Florida State Rep. Anna Eskamani, an Orlando Democrat, told the Naples Daily News and Fort Myers News-Press on May 12 that she received a text from a member of Congress that said the center was closing.

The 1,400 people held in the center will be removed in the next few weeks. It is not yet known where they will be moved.

Alligator Alcatraz was built in eight days, and then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said it would serve as a blueprint for similar sites elsewhere. Florida opened a second site at the Baker Correctional Institution, dubbed the "Deportation Depot."

USA TODAY reviewed the construction, cost, size and capacity of Alligator Alcatraz, as well as the political and environmental objections to it. Here is what we found. ...

#1 | Posted by LampLighter at 2026-06-17 02:00 PM | Reply

"The cost of operating the center is the reason."

Just charge Trump more.
He'll be happy to pay double.
Triple if they can make the conditions at Alligator Auschwitz even more inhumane.

#2 | Posted by snoofy at 2026-06-17 02:01 PM | Reply

indicated $1 million per day
1,400 people held

"In April 2026, records report that the cost of US$1.2 million per day for 1,400 people detained corresponds to US$850 per day and per bed." en.wikipedia.org

$850 per day is $310,250 per year.
We're paying $310,250 per year to keep these people in the United States, rather than deport them.
$310,250 per year is a Top 5% Income in the United States.

#3 | Posted by snoofy at 2026-06-17 02:07 PM | Reply