Miami-Dade County to 'protect' land used for ICE detention center
An ICE detention center in the Florida Everglades, sometimes referred to as "Alligator Alcatraz," will close and be broken down, according to a June 25 announcement by Gov. Ron DeSantis. Miami-Dade County officials will now seek to turn over the land it was situated upon for "permanent conservation."
A statement by Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, issued on June 25, said her administration will "pursue the sale and transfer of all county-controlled lands at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport (TNT) to the National Park Service and other authorized Everglades restoration partners for permanent conservation." The site totals about 17,000 acres, according to the Naples Daily News, and is located within Big Cypress National Preserve.
"From the very beginning, I have raised serious concerns about the 'Alligator Alcatraz' detention facility because people have been held there in inhumane conditions without meaningful due process, while occupying land alongside one of the world's most precious natural ecosystems," Levine Cava said in the release.
Miami-Dade County officials believe keeping the TNT intact "no longer represents the best longterm use of the property," due to its remote location, required maintenance, "limited aviation utility" and incompatibility with "surrounding conservation lands," according to the release.
"Once this facility is decommissioned, we have an opportunity to permanently protect these lands for Everglades restoration and ensure they remain protected for generations to come," Levine Cava said.
The land transfer isn't guaranteed to occur, the Naples Daily News reported, and DeSantis said the site was "fine the way it was" during a June 25 press conference.
Inhumane conditions, reports of torture at 'Alligator Alcatraz' in Florida
The Everglades ICE jail was initially rumored to be shutting down in May, according to reporting by CBS News Miami, which cited "four sources familiar with the announcement."
The facility - which opened on July 3, 2025, and was built with state tax money - cost the state about $1 million per day to operate, according to the New York Times.
Conditions at the detention center have been described as "inhumane," with reports emerging of torture and violations of detainees' First Amendment rights. A January investigation by the Miami Herald found the whereabouts of hundreds of detainees kept at the facility were impossible to ascertain.
The 1,400 detainees that remain within the Everglades detention center in mid-May were expected to be moved in proceeding weeks, CBS News reported, with the "last detainee" to leave in June. Once the detainees were transferred to other detention centers or deported, vendors were told the approximately two-week process to "demobilize" the Everglades site would begin, including removing fencing, trailers and other structures.
DeSantis had said that the facility was always intended to be temporary during a press conference in Lakeland on May 7.
Contributing: Mickenzie Hannon and Alexa Ryan, Naples Daily News
Sarah Perkel is a South Florida Connect Reporter for the USA TODAY Network's Florida Connect team. You can get all of Florida's best content directly in your inbox each weekday day by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Miami-Dade County to 'protect' land used for ICE detention center
Reporting by Sarah Perkel, USA TODAY NETWORK / USA TODAY
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This story was originally published July 7, 2026 at 8:15 AM.