Immigration attorney Richard Hujber says detainees from the closed Alligator Alcatraz facility have been scattered across the country to facilities in Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico, and as far as Tacoma, Washington. The relocations create significant legal challenges when fighting for bonds and navigating immigration law, Hujber explained, because different circuit courts in different parts of the country have different laws. In some circuits, bond has been denied entirely. Governor Ron DeSantis says roughly 21,000 people have been deported from the facility since it opened nearly a year ago.
With bond now out of reach for some detainees, Hujber says they are left questioning whether to continue fighting for residency or asylum or to self-deport instead. Anna Maria Hernandez's cousin was detained at Alligator Alcatraz and was released just before the facility closed. Her cousin is now under an order of supervision, which allows him to drive, work, and live in the U.S. Hujber said the hardest part is that families want to keep fighting, but it ultimately remains the decision of the person in detention. The Baker County facility in North Florida remains operational, but for many former Alligator Alcatraz detainees and their families, the future is filled with uncertainty.