Florida Hasn't Applied for $450 Million Reimbursement for Alligator Alcatraz, DHS, FEMA Say

MIAMI—A day after Florida’s Alligator Alcatraz detention facility received its first van-load of undocumented immigrants, the state still hasn’t applied for federal funds to foot the $450 million bill.

At least, that’s what the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency said in a Thursday morning court filing, so far contradicting Gov. Ron DeSantis’s assurances that Florida would be reimbursed for the 3,000-bed facility.

The agencies responded to a lawsuit filed last week by environmental protection groups hoping to stop construction on the new center lying deep within the Everglades. DHS and FEMA argue that they can’t be sued over Alligator Alcatraz because they haven’t spent any money.

“DHS has not implemented, authorized, directed, or funded Florida’s temporary detention center,” the filing reads. “Neither ICE nor FEMA has sent any funds to Florida in connection with [Alligator Alcatraz].”

“Florida has received no federal funds, nor has it applied for federal funds related to the temporary detention center,” the filing continues. “Courts cannot adjudicate hypothetical future funding decisions or render advisory opinions on contingent scenarios that may never materialize.”

FEMA has $600 million in federal funding for the Detention Support Grant Program, which would reimburse states for constructing detention centers for undocumented immigrants. Alligator Alcatraz is expected to cost $450 million to run for one year.

A senior official at the agency who oversees grant awards, David Richardson, said FEMA would notify the Florida Department of Emergency Management—the only agency he says can apply for the grant—when the program is “finalized.”

FEMA did not immediately respond to questions on when the program would be finalized—if it’s not already.

“The Florida Department of Emergency Management has not yet applied for a DSGP award, and DHS/FEMA has not yet approved a federal award,” Richardson said in the court filing.

“I am not aware of any other grant applications that Florida has submitted to FEMA in connection with the temporary detention center at issue in this case.”

Why is there a lawsuit over Alligator Alcatraz?

Alligator Alcatraz, located within the Everglades and Big Cypress National Preserve in Ochopee, has faced a slew of criticism since its announcement just two weeks ago.

Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity, two non-profits, filed suit against ICE, DHS, and Miami-Dade County last week for fear that Alligator Alcatraz would jeopardize the Everglades’ fragile ecosystem and threaten endangered species.

Despite the lawsuit, Alligator Alcatraz hosted a grand opening on Tuesday—just eight days after construction began to convert the near-defunct Dade-Collier Airport into a 39 square-mile detention center. 

The event was made into a spectacle championed by President Donald Trump, DeSantis, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, and a host of Florida officials who toured the center.

Able to hold up to 5,000 migrants and surrounded by 28,000 feet of barbed wire, Alligator Alcatraz received its first occupants last night. Attorney General James Uthmeier, who came up with the center, said he expected “hundreds” on Wednesday evening.

A spokesperson for the Attorney General’s office told The Floridian that as of Thursday morning, the office doesn’t know yet how many were checked in—but “some were” last night.

The AG's office, the governor's office, and FDEM didn't immediately return a request for comment on the timeline for Alligator Alcatraz's federal funding.