The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has announced that detainees from the notorious 'Alligator Alcatraz' immigration detention center in Ochopee, Florida, have been relocated to other facilities. The remote facility, located in the Everglades, drew widespread criticism for its harsh conditions and was celebrated by former President Donald Trump.
Transfer Details and Reasons
ICE stated on Tuesday that all detainees at the state-run site had been moved, but officials declined to specify how many individuals were transferred or to which locations they were sent. The agency cited hurricane season as the reason for the move, saying it was done for the safety of the detainees. NBC Miami reported that ICE said: 'As we enter into hurricane season, ICE and the state of Florida have moved illegal aliens from the soft sided facility. For the safety of the illegal alien detainees, we transferred them to other facilities.'
ICE did not immediately respond to requests for comment from the Guardian.
Human Rights Allegations
The transfers occur amid ongoing allegations of human rights abuses at the facility. In December 2025, Amnesty International published a report detailing claims that detainees were shackled inside a 2-foot-high metal cage and left outdoors without water for extended periods as a form of arbitrary punishment. One detainee told Amnesty: 'One time, two people in my cell were calling out to the guards telling them that I needed my medication. Ten guards rushed into the cell and threw them to the ground. They were taken to the "box" and punished just for trying to help me. I saw a guy who was put in it for an entire day.'
Cost and Planned Closure
The facility, which opened in July 2025, costs Florida taxpayers an estimated $1.2 million per day to operate, according to an investigation by the Florida Tributary. In May, the New York Times reported that Florida plans to shut down the facility, citing a federal official and three sources familiar with the matter. State officials reportedly told vendors that detainees would be transferred out at the beginning of June.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said at a press conference last month that the state 'didn't build any permanent facilities down there, because we knew it was going to be temporary,' though he did not provide a timeline for closure.
Additional Allegations
A Guardian report published earlier this month revealed that more than half a dozen detainees alleged they were given 'rotten' water containing mosquito larvae. According to the detainees, prison guards used the contaminated water to pressure them into signing documents written in English that they could not understand.
Stephanie Hartman, a spokesperson for the Florida Department of Emergency Management, which oversees the facility's operations, said in a statement: 'Medical facilities and staff, including a pharmacy, are available 24/7 to detainees.'
