The Department of Homeland Security announced Wednesday that all detainees previously held at the remote Florida immigration detention facility known as 'Alligator Alcatraz' have been transferred to other facilities. The Everglades-area site drew widespread attention earlier this year when it was established as a temporary detention location, with critics raising concerns about conditions and its isolated location in South Florida's swamplands.

DHS confirmed the transfers but did not immediately specify where detainees had been relocated or provide a total count of individuals moved. The facility, formally an airfield site in the Florida Everglades, became a symbol in the national debate over immigration enforcement after the Trump administration began using it to hold migrants apprehended under aggressive enforcement operations.

The closure of detainee operations at the site coincides with President Trump signing a declaration on illegal immigration at the G7 summit, signaling that the administration intends to continue escalating enforcement measures internationally and domestically. Officials have framed such detention facilities as necessary tools to manage a large volume of immigration cases.

Civil liberties advocates and immigration attorneys had raised alarms about the facility since its opening, citing limited access for legal counsel, extreme heat, and the logistical difficulties posed by its remote location. The transfer of all detainees may reflect both operational decisions and pressure from ongoing legal challenges targeting conditions at the site.