Florida closes Alligator Alcatraz, prompting cost and political reckoning

Florida is winding down the Alligator Alcatraz immigration detention center after mounting costs and questions about its sustainability, with roughly $608 million in federal reimbursement requested but unpaid and operating costs reportedly near $1 million per day. Supporters argued it filled a federal detention gap and deterred illegal immigration, while critics deemed it an expensive political stunt whose symbolism outweighed practical results as DeSantis nears the end of his term and Trump allies weigh the project’s legacy.