DHS Chief Denies 'Alligator Alcatraz' Is Dead, Even as Detainees Are Reportedly Being Moved Out

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the Trump administration has no immediate plans to shut down the Florida immigration detention facility known as "Alligator Alcatraz," contradicting recent reports that the site could close within weeks as officials move detainees out and reassess the cost of operating the facility.

"I don't think we've said we're shutting it down," Mullin told CBS News, adding that while the Everglades-based facility faces vulnerabilities from hurricanes and wildfires, the Department of Homeland Security still views it as part of its "surge capacity" for immigration detention.

Mullin's remarks come days after The New York Times reported that vendors operating at the site had been told the facility would close and that detainees could be transferred out by early June. The report cited a federal official and several people familiar with the operation who said the center, which currently houses roughly 1,400 detainees, had become too expensive and operationally difficult to maintain.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis also appeared to suggest the closure earlier this month after months defending the site against lawsuits and environmental challenges. "It would be great for us to break that facility down," DeSantis said last week, according to The Miami Herald, adding that if the federal government no longer needed the center, "we don't need to do it."

The facility, built on a largely abandoned Everglades airstrip between Miami and Naples, became one of the most visible symbols of the Trump administration's immigration enforcement strategy after opening in 2025. Trump toured the site alongside DeSantis and former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, with officials openly promoting the harsh environment as a deterrent to migrants.

Critics, including immigration advocates, environmental groups and Native American organizations, have challenged both the conditions inside the facility and its construction on sensitive land. State officials have denied allegations of abuse and unsanitary conditions.

Mullin acknowledged that DHS is reevaluating its broader detention strategy. Rather than relying heavily on warehouse-style detention centers, he said the department is increasingly looking at county jails and shuttered facilities that can be reopened more quickly.

"We're going to change the focus a little bit," Mullin said, arguing that converting warehouses into detention sites can take up to two years and "doesn't fit today's need."