Watch Live: DeSantis speaks at "Alligator Alcatraz" amid reports it is closing

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is holding a news conference at " Alligator Alcatraz " this Thursday morning amid reports that the controversial immigration detention facility is shutting down. DeSantis is expected to be joined by White House Border Czar Tom Homan , and Florida State Board of Immigration Enforcement Executive Director Anthony Coker . File image. DeSantis speaks to reporters during a news conference on the airplane runway of Alligator Alcatraz in Ochopee, Florida, on July 25, 2025. Miami Herald via Getty Images The news conference began around 11:30 a.m. Earlier this week, CBS News Miami's Jim DeFede reported that vendors hired by the state to operate "Alligator Alcatraz" were notified that they were to begin "full demobilization" of the facility , quietly bringing a close to the $1.2 billion experiment that had once been hailed by DeSantis and President Donald Trump as a model that other states should pursue, according to sources. According to those sources, the final few detainees left the facility last week and were either transferred to other detention centers or were deported. At the time, federal and state officials said the move was for safety concerns over the start of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season . They had even suggested that the facility would remain ready to take on new detainees. The decision to close the facility has been speculated for the past two months , with even DeSantis previously saying he expected it to close soon. …