DHS chief Mullin says agency has no plan to shut down "Alligator Alcatraz"
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the department has no plan to shut down Alligator Alcatraz, following reports that companies hired by Florida to operate the detention center were told it would close.
Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin said the department has no near-term plan to shut down Alligator Alcatraz, even as he acknowledged the soft-sided Florida immigration detention facility is vulnerable to natural disasters.
"I don't think we've said we're shutting it down," Mullin said. "That's not been an announcement we've made." The secretary told CBS News in an exclusive interview that DHS understands "there's vulnerabilities" around the soft-sided facility in the middle of the Everglades, adding that "we have fires that are within 20 miles of it" and "Florida is pretty susceptible to hurricanes."
Mullin's comments follow reports that companies hired by the state of Florida to operate Alligator Alcatraz were notified Tuesday that the facility is being shut down, with roughly 1,400 remaining detainees expected to be removed in the coming weeks. One source told CBS News Miami that "the last detainee will leave in June," amid escalating operating costs that are now estimated to total nearly $1 billion.
Pressed on whether there are any near-term plans to close the site, Mullin said DHS has contingency plans in the event of a natural disaster, but no plans to close the facility permanently.
"We have plans in case of a natural emergency such as a wildfire or hurricane, to have to be able to bring it down and pull the individuals out," he said. But he added that DHS still needs the ability "to flex when we have a big influx" of migrants, calling the facility part of the department's needed "surge capacity."
On Wednesday, Gov. Ron Desantis said Florida has not received definitive notice from the federal government about whether the facility will close — or the road ahead.