More than 1,200 detainees held at Florida’s controversial immigration processing center, colloquially known as “Alligator Alcatraz,” have vanished from federal records, according to reports from the Miami Herald and El País. The facility, located west of Miami, has been the subject of multiple lawsuits and allegations of mistreatment since its opening in July 2025.
By late August, approximately 800 detainees had no record in the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) online database, while another 450 were listed with the message: “Call ICE for details.” Advocacy groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), have criticized the lack of transparency, describing the facility as a “black hole” where detainees are effectively “off the radar” of the immigration system.
Some detainees may have been deported without final orders of removal, while others reportedly chose to abandon their immigration cases to end prolonged detention in harsh conditions. The facility, constructed rapidly on a former airstrip in the Everglades, has faced criticism for its treatment of detainees, including being held in chain-link cages with minimal protection from the elements.
Legal challenges continue as authorities work to address the situation, but the whereabouts of the missing detainees remain unclear.
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