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6d ago

Deportations Underway at Everglades Facility as Federal $608M Grant Program Opens

Applications close on August 8 for states to access federal funds to build or expand migrant detention centers.

An aerial view shows "Alligator Alcatraz" ICE detention center at Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport in Ochopee, Florida, U.S. July 24, 2025. REUTERS/Marco Bello/File Photo
President Donald Trump, Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and others, tour "Alligator Alcatraz," a new migrant detention facility at Dade-Collier Training and Transition facility, Tuesday, July 1, 2025, in Ochopee, Fla.
An inside look at Alligator Alcatraz, Florida's immigration detention center.
Aerial view of structures, including gigantic tents built at the recently opened migrant detention center, “Alligator Alcatraz,” located at the site of the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport in Ochopee, Florida, on Friday, July 4, 2025. (Pedro Portal/Miami Herald/TNS)

Overview

  • FEMA launched a $608 million Detention Support Grant Program on July 25 to reimburse states for constructing or expanding temporary immigration detention sites.
  • Alligator Alcatraz was erected in under a month on the Dade-Collier airstrip, currently housing up to 2,000 detainees with plans to expand capacity to 4,000.
  • ICE has operated two to three deportation flights from the Everglades camp since July 25, with the first flight carrying about 100 detainees and a pilot self-deportation stipend program under way.
  • Cities, rights groups and attorneys continue legal challenges over FEMA funding clawbacks, the facility’s environmental impact and alleged overcrowding and mistreatment of detainees.
  • Governor DeSantis and federal officials cite the site’s isolation, surrounding wetlands and dangerous wildlife as natural security measures to deter escapes.