Florida Governor Ron DeSantis officially announced that the immigration detention center commonly known as Alligator Alcatraz has finally shut down. The announcement irritated some Florida residents, who believed that DeSantis and the Republican administration had thrown taxpayers’ money down the drain with the project.
As reported by AP News, the governor announced the closure during a press conference, reiterating that the detention center was always intended to be a temporary solution. According to DeSantis, there was “a gap,” so the state stepped up to help with the immigration process.
The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility was first reported to be shutting down back in May, and reactions have been a mixture of relief and anger among many locals. Alligator Alcatraz opened on July 3, 2025, and was built near a swamp in the Florida Everglades. During its operation, it received multiple complaints about poor living conditions for detainees, as well as exceedingly high operating costs.
The facility was temporarily closed earlier in June due to hurricane season, but the announcement marks its official shutdown. Previously, the facility cost more than $1 million per day to operate while housing around 1,400 detainees.
Floridians React to Aligator Alcatraz Closing Down
Florida residents on Reddit’s r/Florida had harsh words for the governor following the shutdown of the facility, saying that “DeSantis should have never opened it,” and accusing his party: “Republicans hellbent on auditing everyone but themselves. Let’s see an audit of the state’s disaster relief fund.”
One seemingly irritated user said: “Florida has spent at least half a billion dollars on this boondoggle. What a massive waste of time, taxpayer dollars for something that only amounts to stupidity and cruelty for the sake of being stupid and cruel.” Someone else added: “I can’t even find the words to describe the DeSantis governorship – nothing seems bad enough. Just like the Trump Presidency.”
Others argued that “Fiscally responsible Republicans is an oxymoron,” while complaining about how much money had been wasted on a facility they believed did not help the state in any way.
Some users also reacted to the news with sarcasm: “Don’t worry, they’ll try to pin it on democrats like they haven’t been in control for almost 30 years.”
With Alligator Alcatraz now closed, Florida is expected to save at least $1 million per day. However, the state has yet to receive the $608 million federal reimbursement promised by the Trump administration for operating the facility.
