Claim by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis:
In July 2025, Gov. Ron DeSantis stated that “everybody here is already on a final removal order” in reference to detainees held at Florida’s Alligator Alcatraz immigration facility.
Explanation:
Final orders of removal are issued through immigration court proceedings or expedited removal, and they are not public records. However, immigration attorneys representing detainees at Alligator Alcatraz said many of their clients do not have such orders.
Attorney Anna Weiser told PolitiFact that three of her four clients held at the facility lacked final removal orders. Attorney Zareefa Khan reported the same about two clients, including a Guatemalan asylum seeker not in deportation proceedings. Another lawyer, Josephine Arroyo, said her DACA-recipient client had been explicitly told by ICE that he had no deportation order.
Neither ICE nor the Florida Division of Emergency Management has provided documentation proving that all detainees have deportation orders. Meanwhile, the ACLU filed a lawsuit alleging due process violations and a lack of access to legal services at the facility.
Conclusion:
Fact or Fiction? Fiction. Gov. DeSantis’ assertion is not supported by available evidence. Legal experts confirm that many detainees do not have final removal orders, directly contradicting the governor’s claim.
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