Only 1 in 5 Detainees at Florida's 'Alligator Alcatraz' Had Removal Orders, Exclusive Records Show

Since opening in July, the Florida immigration detention facility at Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport — widely known as "Alligator Alcatraz" — has faced growing criticism from the public, human rights groups, immigration advocates, and environmental organizations following numerous reports of alleged rights violations.

Among the most serious concerns are civil liberties violations, particularly the lack of access to legal counsel for detainees. During a hearing last month, attorneys testified that many individuals were being held without formal charges. That claim is supported by an investigation from the Miami Herald and Tampa Bay Times, which found that instead of housing dangerous criminals — as originally intended — the facility was largely operating as a transfer hub for immigrants still fighting their cases in immigration court.

Records reviewed by the outlets show that hundreds of people detained at Alligator Alcatraz had no criminal convictions or pending charges. At its peak in late July, only one in five of the roughly 1,400 detainees had been ordered removed by an immigration judge.

Those findings appear to contradict repeated claims by top Florida officials — including Gov. Ron DeSantis — who have asserted that all detainees held at the facility were subject to final orders of removal.

"Everybody here is already on a final removal order," DeSantis said at a July 25 press conference outside the facility. He repeated the claim four days later, telling the Florida Sheriffs Association: "They've all already been given a final order of removal. So, if you have an order to be removed, what is the possible objection to the federal government enforcing that removal order?"

Other Florida officials — including Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie, House Speaker Danny Perez, and CFO Blaise Ingoglia — have echoed those statements, despite conflicting accounts from civil rights advocates and detainees.

In contrast to DeSantis' calls for "aggressive processing and aggressive deportation," records show that nearly two out of every five immigrants listed as detained at the Everglades facility in early July were still being held there at the end of the month — raising questions about the pace and transparency of deportation efforts.

A significant share of detainees were also transferred to other ICE facilities around the country. According to ICE data reviewed by the Herald and Times, 40% of the 750 individuals listed in early July had been moved to other detention centers, not deported, while another 40% remained at Alligator Alcatraz.

The investigation further found that many detainees were not listed in ICE's public database, leaving the status of approximately 150 people uncertain.

As of Aug. 4, two out of every five detainees from the July list had been relocated to 13 ICE facilities across the country — including five in Texas, four in Florida, three in Louisiana, and one in Guantanamo Bay.