Rana Mourer waves an American flag outside of the migrant detention facility dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz," at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition facility, Saturday, July 12, 2025 in Ochopee, Fla. (AP Photo/Alexandra Rodriguez)
FILE - Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., listens during a roundtable at "Alligator Alcatraz," a new migrant detention facility at Dade-Collier Training and Transition facility, July 1, 2025, in Ochopee, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, file)
Work progresses on a new migrant detention facility dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz," at Dade-Collier Training and Transition facility in the Florida Everglades, Friday, July 4, 2025, in Ochopee, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Work progresses on a new migrant detention facility dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz," at Dade-Collier Training and Transition facility in the Florida Everglades, Friday, July 4, 2025, in Ochopee, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
This image from a video feed shows Gov. Ron DeSantis speaking about deportation flights from the remote Everglades immigration lockup known as â€Alligator Alcatraz″ on July 25, 2025 in Ochopee, Florida. (AP Photo via Office Of Florida Governor Ron Desantis)
This image from a video feed shows Gov. Ron DeSantis speaking about deportation flights from the remote Everglades immigration lockup known as â€Alligator Alcatraz″ on July 25, 2025 in Ochopee, Florida. (Office Of Florida Governor Ron Desantis via AP)
Rana Mourer waves an American flag outside of the migrant detention facility dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz," at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition facility, Saturday, July 12, 2025 in Ochopee, Fla. (AP Photo/Alexandra Rodriguez)
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FILE - Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., listens during a roundtable at "Alligator Alcatraz," a new migrant detention facility at Dade-Collier Training and Transition facility, July 1, 2025, in Ochopee, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, file)
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Work progresses on a new migrant detention facility dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz," at Dade-Collier Training and Transition facility in the Florida Everglades, Friday, July 4, 2025, in Ochopee, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
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Work progresses on a new migrant detention facility dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz," at Dade-Collier Training and Transition facility in the Florida Everglades, Friday, July 4, 2025, in Ochopee, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
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This image from a video feed shows Gov. Ron DeSantis speaking about deportation flights from the remote Everglades immigration lockup known as â€Alligator Alcatraz″ on July 25, 2025 in Ochopee, Florida. (AP Photo via Office Of Florida Governor Ron Desantis)
This image from a video feed shows Gov. Ron DeSantis speaking about deportation flights from the remote Everglades immigration lockup known as â€Alligator Alcatraz″ on July 25, 2025 in Ochopee, Florida. (Office Of Florida Governor Ron Desantis via AP)
Deportation flights from the remote Everglades immigration lockup known as †Alligator Alcatraz ″ have begun and are expected to increase soon, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Friday.
The first flights operated by the Department of Homeland Security have transferred about 100 detainees from the immigration detention center to other countries, DeSantis said during a news conference near the facility.
“You’re going to see the numbers go up dramatically,†he said.
Two or three flights have already departedr, but officials didn't say where those flights headed.
Critics have condemned the South Florida facility as cruel and inhumane. DeSantis and other Republican officials have defended it as part of the to support President Donald Trump’s .
Building the facility in the Everglades and naming it after a were meant as deterrents, DeSantis and other officials have said.
The White House has — about 50 miles (80 kilometers) west of Miami — and the fact that it is teeming with pythons and alligators. It hopes to send a message that repercussions will be severe if U.S. immigration laws are broken.
Trump has suggested that his administration could , the notorious island prison in San Francisco Bay. The White House also has sent some immigrants awaiting deportation to a detention lockup in and others to .
The Everglades facility was built in a matter of days over 10 square miles (26 square kilometers). It features more than 200 security cameras and more than 5 miles (8 kilometers) of barbed wire. An adjacent runway makes it more convenient for homeland security officials to move detainees in and out of the site.
It currently holds about 2,000 people, with the potential to double the capacity, Florida Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie said Friday.
DeSantis wants the U.S. Justice Department to allow an immigration judge on site to speed up the deportation process.
“This was never intended to be something where people are just held,†he said. “The whole purpose is to be a place that can facilitate increased frequency and numbers of deportations.â€
Critics have challenged federal and state officials’ contention that the detention center is just run by the state of Florida. °µÍø½ûÇøal groups suing to stop further construction and expansion demanded Thursday to see agreements or communications between state and federal officials and to visit the site.
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Associated Press writer Mike Schneider contributed.