ICE Empties ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ Citing Hurricane Risk, Advocates Skeptical
ICE says it emptied the remote Everglades detention facility for hurricane safety — but attorneys fighting to shut it down say the explanation doesn’t add up.
MIAMI, FLORIDA — Federal immigration authorities have transferred all detainees out of the remote Everglades detention facility known as “Alligator Alcatraz,” citing safety concerns ahead of hurricane season. Advocacy groups and their attorneys question the stated reason.
ICE Cites Hurricane Season for Move
“As we enter into hurricane season, ICE and the state of Florida have moved illegal aliens from the soft-sided facility,” an ICE spokesperson told the Florida Phoenix. “For the safety of the illegal alien detainees, we transferred them to other facilities.”
The move was first reported by WINK News on Tuesday, June 17. ICE and state officials had quietly relocated detainees from the facility, which sits deep within the Florida Everglades, without making a public announcement.
The facility was originally constructed in late June 2025 and began accepting detainees on July 1, 2025, during the same Atlantic hurricane season that ICE now cites as a reason for the transfer. ICE did not explain what made the 2026 hurricane season more dangerous than the 2025 season, when the facility was built and filled with detainees.
Advocacy Groups Push Back
Attorney Paul Schwiep, who represents Friends of the Everglades in a year-long legal effort to shut down the facility, challenged the agency’s explanation during a Zoom press conference Wednesday.
“They built it and filled it with people during the hurricane season last year, so that makes no sense,” Schwiep said. “How stupid do they think we are?”
Other environmental group representatives echoed concerns about the lack of transparency from state and federal authorities, pointing to the quiet nature of the transfer as evidence that officials have not been forthcoming about their intentions for the facility.
Questions Remain About the Facility’s Future
On-the-ground observations have added to the uncertainty. Jessica Natham, a local nature enthusiast who regularly visits the area surrounding the facility, reported Wednesday that the site does not appear to be shutting down. She observed transport buses and vendors still on the property, including jet fuel being delivered to the site.
For weeks, reports have circulated that state and federal officials planned to scale back operations at the center. Despite those reports, Governor Ron DeSantis and the Department of Homeland Security maintained there were no “official” discussions about a permanent closure.
Neither ICE nor the governor’s office responded to questions about whether the current transfer is permanent. Ahead of the facility’s opening last year, Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie stated the lockup was built to withstand a Category 2 hurricane, a claim that advocacy groups say undermines the hurricane safety rationale now being offered.
