Overview
- The White House border chief Tom Homan confirmed Thursday that officials are discussing the facility’s future, and Gov. Ron DeSantis said the site was always meant to be temporary.
- DHS officials have privately deemed the operation too expensive, according to reporting by the New York Times, while the department publicly denies pressuring Florida and says it is reviewing detention needs and reimbursement requests.
- Florida has spent roughly $1 million a day to run the remote site and has requested about $608 million in federal reimbursement that has not been paid, a burden heightened by the swamp location that requires hauling in supplies and hauling out sewage.
- Roughly 1,300 to 1,400 men are currently detained there, and official data indicate most are classified as non‑criminal, as advocacy groups report unsanitary and abusive conditions that the state disputes.
- A federal judge ordered a shutdown last August in an environmental case, but the 11th Circuit allowed the camp to stay open, and continuing lawsuits from environmental and tribal groups could shape any wind‑down and potential cleanup.