The cost, in dollars and lives

of the Alligator Alcatraz immigration detention facility, Dade-Collier airstrip, Florida Everglades.

$395,632,333

$395,632,333 — computed at build time on 2026-05-26 16:38 UTC. JavaScript is required for the live ticker. ^{floridatrib-2026-03-burn-rate}

Reported estimateLast verified: 2026-05-25

Formula: ⌊construction_cost + daily_cost × days_elapsed⌋, ticking once per second. Based on reported operating cost ( ^{floridatrib-2026-03-burn-rate} ).

SNAPSHOT Detainees missing from ICE locator

≈ 1,250

of 1,800 held in July 2025 — roughly two-thirds

As of 2025-08-31. Single investigation, not a live count. ^{democracynow-2025-09-disappeared}^{snopes-2025-09-disappeared-factcheck}

Based on reported estimates — see methodology.

What is Alligator Alcatraz?

The facility occupies Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport inside Big Cypress National Preserve near Ochopee, Florida, in the Everglades.^{wlrn-2025-08-timeline}
It is operated by the Florida Division of Emergency Management — the first state-run facility in the US to hold federal immigration detainees.^{wlrn-2025-08-timeline}
The facility opened July 1, 2025, when President Donald Trump and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem toured the site.^{pbs-2025-07-first-detainees}
It was assembled in approximately eight days using aluminum-framed tents encircled by more than 28,000 feet of barbed wire, designed to hold up to 3,000 detainees.^{wlrn-2025-08-timeline}
The nickname "Alligator Alcatraz" was coined by Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, referencing the remote, wildlife-filled terrain surrounding the site.^{wlrn-2025-08-timeline}

The Cost

State records show Florida spent more than $1.2 million per day operating the facility.^{floridatrib-2026-03-burn-rate}^{cbs12-2026-03-burn-rate}
Florida's total immigration enforcement spending reached nearly $460 million in the year following the facility's opening.^{wusf-2026-05-total-spending}
FEMA approved a $608 million reimbursement for Florida's costs; initial payments began flowing to the state in May 2026.^{wgcu-2026-05-reimbursement}
Spending was drawn from Florida's Emergency Preparedness & Response Fund, bypassing the standard legislative appropriation process.^{floridatrib-2026-03-burn-rate}
The fund itself is financed 70% from Florida's General Revenue Fund (state sales and corporate income taxes) and 30% from federal grants, per state legislative analysis.^{fl-house-analysis-h5503z-2026}
Under Florida Statute § 252.37, the Governor may spend from this fund during a declared state of emergency without a further legislative vote.^{fl-statute-252-37}

See /methodology for counter formula, confidence level, and last-verified date.

Environmental Harm

The site is on lands within Big Cypress National Preserve perpetually leased to the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida.^{insideclimatenews-2025-08-injunction}
Construction proceeded without a public comment period, environmental impact statement, or review under NEPA or the Endangered Species Act.^{insideclimatenews-2025-08-injunction}
More than 800,000 square feet of new paving was installed without a stormwater treatment system, raising concerns about pollutants reaching the Everglades.^{wlrn-2025-08-environmental-ruling}
U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams issued a preliminary injunction on August 22, 2025, halting new detainee intake and additional construction pending environmental review.^{insideclimatenews-2025-08-injunction}
A three-judge 11th Circuit panel issued a stay, ruling the state-operated facility falls outside federal NEPA obligations, allowing the facility to remain open during appeal.^{cnn-2025-09-appeals-stay}

Human Cost

Lawmakers found 32 adult men per cage-style unit sharing one toilet; temperatures measured at 83°F in housing areas and 85°F in the medical intake area.^{nbcnews-2025-07-lawmakers-conditions}
Detainees reported worms in food, non-flushing toilets, floors flooded with fecal waste, and mosquitoes throughout the facility.^{cbsmiami-2025-07-worms-sewage}
Amnesty International documented sleeping areas flooded with fecal matter, limited showers, insect exposure, lights on 24 hours a day, and inadequate food and water.^{wlrn-2025-12-amnesty-torture}
NBC News reported detainee accounts of unreliable medical treatment for chronic conditions, alongside fungus infestations and mosquito swarms.^{nbcnews-2025-07-detainee-conditions}
Former detainees described a small outdoor cage called "the box," used as punishment: people shackled at wrists and feet, chained to the ground in the sun for hours without food or water.^{notus-2025-12-the-box}^{wlrn-2025-12-amnesty-torture}
Amnesty International stated in its December 2025 report that "the box" conditions would likely cause severe physical and psychological suffering and constitute torture.^{wgcu-2025-12-amnesty}
The ACLU filed suit (H.C.R. v. Noem) in August 2025 alleging detainees were absent from ICE tracking systems and denied access to legal counsel.^{aclu-2025-08-lawsuit}
A Miami Herald investigation by Shirsho Dasgupta and Ana Ceballos matched July 2025 detainee rosters against ICE's online locator at the end of August and found that roughly two-thirds of more than 1,800 men held at Alligator Alcatraz — around 800 with no records and roughly 450 returning "Call ICE for details" — could not be located.^{democracynow-2025-09-disappeared}^{snopes-2025-09-disappeared-factcheck}
Amnesty International's December 2025 report on Florida immigration detention facilities characterized the pattern of missing detainees and incommunicado holding as enforced disappearances.^{wlrn-2025-12-amnesty-torture}
Prism Reports documented medical emergencies and inadequate medical care responses at the facility in August 2025.^{prism-2025-08-medical-neglect}

Correction / takedown contact: see /about.

Sources

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