‘Alligator Alcatraz,’ the controversial Florida migrant detention facility, expected to close, source says | CNN

Florida is expected to wind down its “Alligator Alcatraz” migrant detention facility sometime this summer, according to a source familiar with the planning. Vendors at the site were told Tuesday that detainees will be removed by “the start of” June and the center will be dismantled in the following weeks, three people familiar with the facility’s operations told The New York Times. WFOR reported similar details about notices given to state contractors who run the facility, citing four sources familiar with the announcement. Though the facility, embedded deep in the Florida Everglades, has been touted by Republicans as a valuable tool in President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, the closure follows nearly a year of legal challenges, mounting operational costs and allegations of inhumane conditions. Last week, the Times reported Florida was in talks with the Trump administration about shutting down the facility, which has cost the state millions of dollars to run. Gov. Ron DeSantis acknowledged the talks during remarks last week and said the facility was always intended to be temporary. “If we shut the lights out tomorrow, we will be able to say it served its purp