List of Florida’s “Alligator Alcatraz” Detainees Revealed

• List of Florida’s “Alligator Alcatraz” detainees revealed
• Conditions criticized at immigration center.
• Florida releases list of detainees at new Alligator Alcatraz center.

New details have emerged about the detainees held at Florida’s immigration detention center, nicknamed “Alligator Alcatraz.”

According to the Miami Herald and the Tampa Bay Times, more than 700 people are listed as either already housed there or scheduled for transfer to this state-run facility.

The center, built on a remote airfield in the Everglades and made up of high-security tents, has faced strong criticism for its projected annual cost of approximately $450 million.

So highlighted Newsweek.

List of Florida’s “Alligator Alcatraz” Detainees Revealed

#14Jul | At least 250 migrants detained at Alligator Alcatraz have no criminal record in the U.S https://t.co/d9q9AQb1F2

— El Nacional (@ElNacionalWeb) July 14, 2025

The opening of “Alligator Alcatraz” coincides with President Donald Trump’s administration’s plan to carry out what it calls the largest mass deportation operation in U.S. history.

Construction was authorized by Governor Ron DeSantis under emergency powers.

The site is located at the former Dade-Collier training airstrip.

Images show a sign with the facility’s colorful but controversial nickname installed at the entrance to the complex.

Criticism Over Conditions in Alligator Alcatraz and Lack of Transparency

Is your family member or client being held at Alligator Alcatraz? Check this list of detainees https://t.co/c2uN0nvxIP

— el Nuevo Herald (@elnuevoherald) July 13, 2025

The Miami Herald reported that Florida’s government has not released the official list of immigrants detained at Alligator Alcatraz, who do not appear in the online database that typically allows people to track their whereabouts.

Attorneys say they are struggling to locate their clients, discovering their whereabouts only when detainees manage to call their families.

Democrats who have visited the site described “cage-like” enclosures under extreme heat, severe sanitation problems, and accounts of detainees screaming for help. They labeled the overall environment as “disgusting” and “vile.”

Despite the allegations, neither the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) nor the Florida Division of Emergency Management has contested the accuracy of the press reports.

State authorities plan to request federal reimbursement through DHS, using FEMA funds to cover the estimated daily cost of $245 per bed.

Lawyers and Religious Leaders Condemn the Initiative

Only one third of detainees at «Alligator Alcatraz» have been convicted of a crime, despite the president’s claims it will hold “some of the most vicious people on the planet”https://t.co/z9MZkoVBp5

— Rolling Stone Politics (@RSPolitics) July 14, 2025

Legal experts and local leaders have questioned both Alligator Alcatraz and the concept behind it. Raul Gastesi, a partner at the law firm Gastesi, Lopez, Mestre & Cobiella, warned:

“South Florida doesn’t have the infrastructure to support a large-scale detention expansion. Our jails are already overcrowded, we lack sufficient waste management capacity, and we face strict zoning limits and serious environmental risks. Particularly given that our region’s drinking water is tied to the Everglades.”

Gastesi further added:

“Detaining people in the harsh climate of Florida’s Everglades—with extreme heat, relentless mosquitoes, and inadequate living conditions—is not something we should be proud of as Americans.”

A Cruel and Degrading Situation

Contributor: Alligator Alcatraz, the concentration camp in Florida, is a national disgrace (via @latimesopinion ) https://t.co/QwGQuATB8R

— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) July 14, 2025

The attorney described the location and the immigration center’s name as “cruel and degrading”:

“I believe in American exceptionalism. I support the need to control our borders and believe in strict immigration policy.

But this crisis was created by the previous administration, and now these people are already here.”

The controversy is growing as Florida strengthens its immigration detention strategy amid the largest deportation plan pushed by the Trump administration, solidifying a harsh and costly approach that has raised concerns about its legality, feasibility, and humanity.

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