Florida could lose $218m on Trump’s 'Alligator Alcatraz' after judge said detention centre must close

The controversial centre, situated in the state’s Everglades wetlands, was ordered to be shut last week after a federal judge upheld an earlier decision to shut the converted training airport.

Court filings made by the state of Florida claimed their Division of Emergency Management will lose most of the $218 million (£161.4 million) it has spent on the centre so far, should it remain closed.

Read More: US court rules Trump's tariffs on most countries, including Britain, are illegal

Read More: Trump revokes secret service protection for former Vice-President Kamala Harris

Built in a matter of days, Alligator Alcatraz consists of chain-link fences and large white tents filled with bunk beds to house detained immigrants before deportations.

The site opened on July 1, and President Trump visited in August.

Alligator Alcatraz is intended to be the first of many such centres which Republicans hope to facilitate mass deportations.

The filings also state that Florida has signed contracts totalling at least $405 million in vendor contracts in relation to the site.

Last Wednesday, US District Judge Kathleen Williams denied requests to pause the order for the site to wind down operations.

She had found previously that environmental surveys were not carried out for the centre which sits within a UNESCO Wetland Area of Global Importance.

It also sits near the Everglades National Park in the southern-most US state.

The legal challenge had been brought jointly by environmental groups and Miccosukee Tribe of Native Americans.

It is unknown how many migrants are currently being held at the facility – but removals have begun according to state officials.

A US Department of Homeland Security statement on Thursday said: “DHS is complying with this order and moving detainees to other facilities.”