Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says Alligator Alcatraz detainees have an out: Self-deportation

Romy Ellenbogen, Tampa Bay Times on Jul 18, 2025

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday rebuffed criticism of poor conditions at Alligator Alcatraz, the immigrant detention center, by saying people housed there have the option to self-deport instead.

DeSantis said the U.S. Department of Homeland Security offers people at the detention center an “all-expense paid trip back to their home country” as soon as they’re processed.

“You never have to go to Alligator Alcatraz as an illegal alien,” DeSantis said at a news conference Friday. “If you can take that plane ticket and you go, and DHS is picking up the cost of that.”

Family members of the people detained at the facility have discussed clogged toilets, sweltering temperatures and limited access to showers. Attorneys have reported difficulty reaching their clients being detained.

The Associated Press reported that people housed at the facility have had worm-infested food and seen fecal matter on the floors.

A Times/Herald report showed that more than 250 people housed at the detention center have only immigration violations, but no criminal record.

DeSantis said that he hoped more people would self-deport, noting that it’s “cheaper than having to run through the process we have in place.”

It’s not clear how many people have taken up the federal government’s offer to self-deport once they have arrived at the detention facility.

DeSantis on Friday also dismissed complaints about the food at Alligator Alcatraz, saying that the food detainees get is the same as the food the employees get.

He said criticisms of Alligator Alcatraz come from Democrats objecting to deportations, and said they were “trying to find pretext to basically camouflage the fact that they have a very unpopular position.”