Alligator Alcatraz Closed for Good.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 25, 2026
Media Contact: The TASC Group
Email: workerscircle@thetascgroup.com, 347-901-9352
Today, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and White House Border Czar Tom Homan, and Florida State Board of Immigration Enforcement Executive Director Anthony Coker, just finished a press conference at Alligator Alcatraz where they said that the detention camp is now closed and would not be reopening. In response, Noelle Damico, Director of Social Justice at the Workers Circle responded,
“Alligator Alcatraz is a failed experiment in cruelty by the Trump and DeSantis administrations. For their own political ends, they tried to convince Americans to hate and fear immigrants and tolerate or justify brutality toward them. They failed. They failed here and will continue to fail across the nation because ordinary people said ‘No! This is not who we are. This is not the America we will become.’ Together we stood as immigrants and citizens alike, reflecting the strength of America, a belief in our Constitution, and the commitment to go the distance, shoulder-to-shoulder for freedom and justice.
Alligator Alcatraz is now shut down due to the relentless action of thousands of people who refused to stand idly by. Through forty-seven weeks of freedom vigils, organized by the Workers Circle and supported by dozens of faith, civic, community, and immigrant organizations, we exposed the brutal abuses, including torture, and ongoing violations of due process happening to people held inside Alligator Alcatraz. Thousands upon thousands of people contacted lawmakers, wrote letters to the editor, and mobilized their neighbors. We denounced the brutality, lawlessness, chaos, and corruption that was Alligator Alcatraz. We, the people, made it politically toxic. We brought it to an end here and we will bring it to an end everywhere. We’re sharing these lessons across the nation. And we will hold all who designed, carried out, or profited off this brutal experiment accountable.
History has given this moment into our hands. We all face the choice of whether we will act or stay on the sidelines. Thousands of people stepped up and thousands more are stepping forward every day across our nation. This fight for our Constitution, human dignity, and freedom continues, buoyed by this decisive victory.”
About The Workers Circle
The Workers Circleis a national, secular Jewish social justice organization founded by Eastern European immigrants who fled pogroms and persecutions to seek democratic freedoms and build “a better and more beautiful world for all” at the turn of the 20th century. That history drives our work for human equality and robust democracy today. Our multigenerational activist community of 250,000+ people powers our strategic, non-partisan campaigns to empower voters, strengthen Constitutional rights, and build a durable, grassroots infrastructure to demand the multiracial democracy we need. Core campaigns of the Workers Circle include freedom vigils, talk to your sheriff, democracy circles, and voter empowerment.