Gov. Ron DeSantis denied a definitive wind-down of the Everglades immigrant detention center dubbed Alligator Alcatraz, but acknowledged that the federal government is evaluating whether to keep it running.
At an unrelated press conference in Lakeland on May 7, DeSantis said the U.S. Department of Homeland Security – which also denied reports of seeking to immediately close the facility – “haven’t said they want to wind it down.”
But the governor said the department, which is under new leadership, “is evaluating what their footprint is.”
“This was always designed to be temporary,” DeSantis said of the site. “It served a good purpose. We’re totally willing to continue that happening in the future.”
DeSantis’ comments come after a New York Times report quoted unnamed officials at the federal and state level preliminarily discussing to shut down the facility, located between between Miami and Naples, that costs about $1 million per day to operate.
The governor stood by what he called the success and necessity of the facility, saying it has processed and deported more than 22,000 detainees.
Additionally, the governor said that whether the facility were to keep running is a “resource question.” He said if the feds decide they have the resources to process detainees, then the state doesn’t need to do it.
But he said he doesn’t think that the president would release people back into the community.
So far, Florida taxpayers have covered the cost of the facility while waiting for federal reimbursement. The state has requested $608 million from the federal government, but it still hasn’t been paid out.
The facility also has been the subject of various lawsuits against the DeSantis administration. On April 24, the state argued against spending $180,025 to purchase more cell phones and equipment in a lawsuit raised by detainees who allege free speech violations, saying the state is making it tough to communicate with attorneys without being recorded or monitored.
The detention center has also repeatedly been under question, since a federal judge’s order briefly required Florida’s emergency management division to start shutting down the facility last summer. Federal appeals judges reversed this order in recent weeks.
This reporting content is supported by a partnership with Freedom Forum and Journalism Funding Partners. USA Today Network-Florida First Amendment reporter Stephany Matat is based in Tallahassee, Fla. She can be reached at SMatat@usatodayco.com. On X: @stephanymatat.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: ‘Always temporary’: DeSantis addresses Alligator Alcatraz future
Reporting by Stephany Matat, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Tallahassee Democrat
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
