Gov. DeSantis says more than 100 people have been deported from Alligator Alcatraz

Gov. Ron DeSantis says the “cadence” of undocumented immigrants flown out of the makeshift prison on the edge of the Everglades is picking up.

“They’ve deported over 100 from there, and they’ve had three or 400 more that have flown out of there and are either have been deported or waiting, deporting from other places in the United States,” DeSantis said about Alligator Alcatraz during remarks Tuesday at the 2025 Florida Sheriffs Association Summer Conference in Orlando.

DeSantis compared the prison camp to an airport connection “like a hub and spoke” in explaining the facility’s utility.

“You know, you have airlines that will feed into one place. Well, we may have 100 illegals that are ready to be sent, but they may be from six or seven different countries, so they have places in like Louisiana where they can fly into, and then they basically segregate people based on the country that the next flights are going to, and they do,” DeSantis said, stressing that the federal government makes the ultimate itinerary decisions.

DeSantis also said that there was “some” due process in defending the extraordinary process to remove illegal immigrants, suggesting people in the country legally should not be removed.

“You know, the people that are going to the Alligator Alcatraz are illegally in the country, they’ve all already been given a final order of removal. So people talk about due process, this and that, and obviously, you know, there’s some process. I mean, if you do have a right to be here, then that should matter. There should be some way to ensure that you are here illegally before they send you for sure. But these guys have already gone through that. So they have that. So if you have an order to be removed, what is the possible objection to the federal government enforcing that removal order?”

Additionally, DeSantis argued that opposing Alligator Alcatraz is tantamount to opposing the rule of law.

“If you don’t think those folks should be sent back, then you basically just want an open border. If you’re going to say that having been ordered to be removed through the process we have, that that shouldn’t amount to anything, I would ask, well, then why would a U.S. citizen have to follow in order to pay more taxes by the IRS (sic)? Why would a U.S. citizen have to follow orders that they don’t like that are issued (under) federal law? It’s almost like people want to give special privileges to people (who) are here illegally and (who) have already had this final order of removal.”