NextFin news, ORLANDO, Fla. — On Monday, U.S. government lawyers acknowledged in a court filing that some detainees at the immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades, known as "Alligator Alcatraz," likely have never been involved in removal proceedings. This admission directly contradicts repeated statements by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis since the facility's opening in July 2025.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) attorneys made this disclosure in a legal argument opposing the certification of detainees as a class in a lawsuit concerning detainees' access to legal counsel. The filing stated that the detainees at the Everglades facility encompass a broad range of immigration statuses, including individuals who have never been placed in removal proceedings, those currently in proceedings, those subject to final removal orders, and others detained for expedited or facilitative removal.
Removal proceedings are legal processes initiated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to determine whether an individual should be deported from the United States.
Since the facility's opening, Governor DeSantis has publicly asserted that every detainee at the center has already undergone the legal process and been issued a final removal order. For example, at a July 25, 2025, news conference outside the detention center, DeSantis stated, "Everybody here is already on a final removal order. They have been ordered to be removed from the country." He reiterated similar claims at a July 29 speech before the Florida Sheriffs Association.
The DOJ's court filing challenges this narrative, emphasizing the diversity of detainees' legal statuses. The filing reads, "The proposed class includes all detainees at Alligator Alcatraz, a facility that houses detainees in all stages of immigration processing — presumably including those who have never been in removal proceedings, those who will be placed into removal proceedings, those who are already subject to final orders of removal, those subject to expedited removal, and those detained for the purpose of facilitation removal from the United States pursuant to a final order of removal."
The legal dispute arises amid lawsuits filed by civil rights groups alleging that detainees at the facility have been denied adequate access to attorneys, violating their constitutional rights. These groups have requested a federal judge in Fort Myers to issue a preliminary injunction to ensure detainees can meet privately with attorneys and share documents confidentially.
"Alligator Alcatraz," officially the Dade-Collier Training and Transition facility, was hastily converted into an immigration detention center by the state of Florida and is operated by private contractors and state agencies. It is located in a remote area of the Everglades and was designed to hold up to 3,000 detainees. At its peak, the facility held over 900 detainees, though many have since been transferred following a federal judge's August 2025 order to wind down operations due to environmental review concerns.
President Donald Trump toured the facility in July 2025 and suggested it could serve as a model for future immigration detention centers nationwide. The federal government has approved a $608 million reimbursement to Florida for the costs associated with building and operating the center.
Requests for comment from Governor DeSantis' office on the DOJ's admission were not returned as of Monday morning.
— Reporting by Mike Schneider, Associated Press.
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