Florida immigration – Florida’s spending on immigration enforcement has climbed to $458.5 million over the past year, after a May budget amendment earmarked an additional $45.3 million for costs tied to “illegal migration activities.” The figures land as the Everglades immigration
Florida’s immigration enforcement bill just kept growing—right up to the point where the state’s Everglades detention operation is reportedly preparing to change shape.
The Florida Division of Emergency Management has spent $458.5 million on immigration enforcement over the past year. after filing a budget amendment in early May for another $45.3 million tied to “costs relating to illegal migration activities.” Transparency Florida. a government accountability website through the Executive Office of the Governor. reported the updated total.
FDEM filed the amendment and it was approved on May 7. The agency notified the legislature that it would spend $45,319,031 from the Emergency Preparedness and Response Fund for costs from the 2025–2026 year.
The amendment described the spending as being for “illegal migration,” but it did not break down how the money would be used.
The Emergency Preparedness and Response Fund was created in 2022 to allow the swift dispensation of money during states of emergency. Since then. lawmakers have deposited $4.77 billion into the fund. and the balance was $199 million as of a few weeks ago. according to the News Service of Florida. Gov. Ron DeSantis issued a state of emergency regarding immigration in January 2023, and it has been renewed over 20 times.
FDEM did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The money is being spent as another major piece of Florida’s enforcement footprint—ICE detention in the Florida Everglades—appears to be nearing an end. An ICE detention center in the Everglades. often referred to as “Alligator Alcatraz. ” is rumored to be shutting down in summer. according to reporting by CBS News Miami on May 12. which cited “four sources familiar with the announcement.”.
The facility opened on July 3, 2025 and was built with state tax money. The New York Times reported that it costs the state about $1 million per day to operate.
State Rep. Anna Eskamani. a Democrat based in Orlando. said she received a text message from a member of Congress stating that the immigrant detention facility would close. Eskamani said she contacted FDEM for confirmation but “haven’t heard back yet. ” in a voice message she sent via text. according to the Naples Daily News and the Fort Myers News-Press.
For the people still inside, the shift is already underway. The 1,400 detainees that remain within the Everglades detention center are expected to be moved in the coming weeks, CBS News reported, with the “last detainee” leaving in June.
After detainees are transferred to other detention centers or deported, vendors were told the facility would enter an approximately two-week “demobilize” phase. That would include removing fencing, trailers and other structures. The site is expected to reopen as a small airport for pilot training.
The decision to run the site—and how it has been described—has drawn sharp scrutiny. Conditions at the facility have been described as “inhumane. ” with reports emerging of torture and violations of detainees’ First Amendment rights. A January investigation by the Miami Herald found the whereabouts of hundreds of detainees kept at the facility were impossible to ascertain.
Gov. DeSantis said the facility was always intended to be temporary. During a press conference in Lakeland on May 7, he said, “At some point, we will, of course, break it down.” He added, “That was always the goal.”
The sequence is stark: Florida’s immigration enforcement costs are climbing toward $460 million even as the state’s high-cost Everglades detention site appears headed for closure, with detainee transfers expected to start immediately and major site teardown scheduled to follow.
Florida immigration enforcement costs Emergency Preparedness and Response Fund FDEM DeSantis Alligator Alcatraz ICE detention center Transparency Florida Anna Eskamani Ron DeSantis CBS News Miami Miami Herald