DHS Launches Deportation Flights From ‘Alligator Alcatraz,’ Governor Announces

Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Friday that deportation flights have officially begun from the state’s immigration detention facility known as “Alligator Alcatraz.”

Speaking at a press conference from the remote site, DeSantis said the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has started using the facility to process and remove illegal immigrants.(RELATED: ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ Tour Guide Describes ‘Taxing’ Experience He Had Showing Off Facility To Democrat Politicians)

“Within record time create a facility that could support intaking, processing and eventually deporting these illegal aliens,” he said.

Governor DeSantis Speaks from Alligator Alcatraz https://t.co/AJeIVThH7O

— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) July 25, 2025

DeSantis urged other states to replicate Florida’s model and emphasized the facility’s role in accelerating deportations — not merely detaining migrants.

“This was never intended to be something where people were just held and we just kind of twiddle our thumbs,” the governor said. “The whole purpose is to make this be a place that can facilitate increased frequency and numbers of deportations of illegal aliens and that is the goal.”

He called the facility’s location a “sensible spot,” pointing to its private runway.

“You don’t have to drive them an hour to the airport, you only have to go a couple thousand feet and they can be on a plane and out of here,” DeSantis said.

Alligator Alcatraz is open for business. 🐊✈️

Deportation flights started today. If you’re here illegally, now’s your chance to leave and come back the right way.

We’ll buy your ticket home. Self-deport today @CBP pic.twitter.com/lVDucxdv4r

— Nancy Mace (@NancyMace) July 25, 2025

“I’m pleased to report that those flights out of Alligator Alcatraz by DHS have begun,”he continued. “The cadence is increasing. We’ve already had a number of flights in the last few days.”

DeSantis added that hundreds of illegal immigrant detainees have already been deported on flights coordinated by the federal government. (RELATED: ‘One-Stop Shop’: Ron DeSantis Shows Off New Alligator-Friendly Facility For Illegals)

“This provides an ability to enhance the mission to increase the number and frequency of deportations.”

The governor also noted in a post on X that the facility includes a runway, enabling the direct removal of illegal aliens by air.

We stood up Alligator Alcatraz in just eight days as a centralized facility for deportation staging. The facility has a two-mile runway that allows federal military aircraft to transport illegal aliens out of the country, right on site. These deportation flights operated by DHS… pic.twitter.com/o6xpaEJ753

— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) July 25, 2025

Larry Keefe, executive director of Florida’s Board of Immigration Enforcement, issued a warning at the Alligator Alcatraz press conference alongside DeSantis to those in the country illegally, stating that the state would see a “surge” in immigration arrests.

He explained federal immigration agents have been making arrests across the state and that 1,800 Florida state troopers have already been deputized. (RELATED: Nancy Pelosi Tells Unassuming Reporter He’d Be ‘Good Candidate’ For Alcatraz Prison)

Keefe also noted that local law enforcement has nearly doubled its capacity to detain individuals suspected of violating federal immigration laws.

In addition, he said the Trump administration recently authorized “credentials” for an additional 1,200 sheriff’s deputies and 650 state agents to further support the state’s role in assisting the federal government’s deportation efforts.