New Facts: DHS Denies Closure Pressure on Alligator Alcatraz

The Department of Homeland Security said it is not pressuring Florida to close the Alligator Alcatraz detention site. The agency said it is reviewing detention needs while describing Florida as a partner on immigration enforcement.

At a news conference in Lakeland, Gov. Ron DeSantis said discussions about the facility’s future are underway and that he has not been told to wind it down. He said he would support closure if federal detention capacity can absorb the people now held there and reiterated the site was built to be temporary.

The camp’s operating bill has been running at more than $1 million a day, with Florida seeking federal reimbursement that it has not yet received. DeSantis said the money is coming, while DHS said reimbursement requests are vetted for eligible, documented costs.

AI-synthesized from multiple reported sources