Alligator Alcatraz Closing: Florida Finally Gives the Everglades a Break

After a whirlwind few months of innovation, ingenuity, and apparently questionable judgment, Florida’s “Alligator Alcatraz” immigration detention center is finally closing. That’s right—what started as a $245 million experiment in combining wetland conservation, chain-link fences, and civil rights controversies is coming to an end… almost.

Opened on July 1, 2025, under a “state of emergency,” the facility quickly earned a reputation as the ultimate swamp adventure—except you don’t get to leave, and the alligators don’t sell souvenirs. Environmentalists, the Miccosukee Tribe, and a surprisingly alert federal judge all noticed that putting humans in the middle of sensitive wetlands might not be the greatest idea. But Florida officials shrugged and said, “Eh, it’s good enough for government work.”

Guests of Alligator Alcatraz reportedly enjoyed a unique array of amenities: unsanitary food, non-existent legal procedures, and living quarters that could generously be called “rustic.” For those keeping score, this was a truly immersive Everglades experience—minus the voluntary part.

Not to worry, though. Florida isn’t letting a little thing like a federal shutdown order or lawsuits slow down its visionary approach to immigration. Plans for “Deportation Depot” in north Florida are already in motion. Because if there’s one thing the state has learned, it’s that wetlands are better used as detention centers than, say, ecosystems.

So, as Alligator Alcatraz prepares to empty its population, Floridians can rest easy knowing that hundreds of millions were spent, the federal courts were mildly annoyed, and the Everglades—temporarily—survived the ultimate reality show: “Detention in the Swamp.”