Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Friday that the Department of Homeland Security has started flying migrants out of the “Alligator Alcatraz" detention facility.

Just weeks after opening Alligator Alcatraz, Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis unveiled plans for a second migrant detention center to

What they’re trying to do, at the end of the day, is pretend like this facility is not governed by federal law,” said one attorney.

Two separate lawsuits could ensure detainees have proper access to their legal counsel or shut down operations at the controversial makeshift immigrant detention center in Florida’s swampy Everglades.

A month into his detention at Alligator Alcatraz, Daniel Ortiz Piñeda faced a stark choice: continue his legal fight for asylum or give it up to hopefully put an end to his extended stay at the makeshift immigration detention camp in the Everglades.

A federal judge ordered a two-week halt to construction at the site while she considers whether it violates environmental laws.

Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., listens during a roundtable at "Alligator Alcatraz," a new migrant detention facility at Dade-Collier Training and Transition facility, July 1, 2025, in Ochopee, Fla. (AP)

Gov. Ron DeSantis addresses a plan for an immigrant detention center in the Everglades at a press conference in Tampa, Florida, on June 25, 2025.

This image from a video feed shows Gov. Ron DeSantis speaking about deportation flights from the remote Everglades immigration lockup known as ”Alligator Alcatraz″ on July 25, 2025 in Ochopee ...

Forget GEO Group Stadium, protesters started a movement 12-years ago to make sure another name caught on where Florida Atlantic would play: "Owlcatraz."