Florida has received $608 million in federal funds to reimburse costs for two state-run immigration detention centers, including the controversial Everglades facility nicknamed “Alligator Alcatraz.” The money was awarded through the Trump administration’s new Detention Support Grant Program one day before the government shutdown.
The reimbursement covers expenses for “Alligator Alcatraz,” which can hold up to 3,000 detainees, and the “Deportation Depot” in Baker County. Florida officials said the funds would also help support plans for an additional facility, the “Panhandle Pokey,” announced by Gov. Ron DeSantis in August.
President Donald Trump toured the Everglades complex in July, praising it as a potential model for future detention sites as his administration seeks to expand deportations. DeSantis celebrated the payout on social media, saying, “Another bogus narrative bites the dust. I said all along that we would be reimbursed.”
Environmental groups, which had sued unsuccessfully to shut down “Alligator Alcatraz,” argued the reimbursement shows the center was a federal project from the start, contradicting earlier legal findings. Critics continue to warn about the environmental impact of building and operating large detention facilities in sensitive areas like the Everglades.
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