Alligator Alcatraz could shut down in less than a month as Florida awaits federal reimbursement

Florida is preparing to shut down the controversial immigrant detention center known as "Alligator Alcatraz" in less than a month. As the state awaits federal reimbursement for the project, one environmental organization suing to close the facility claims the state sought far more federal money than previously disclosed.

Friends of the Everglades, a South Florida-based environmental group, claims the DeSantis administration originally estimated the project would cost more than $1 billion. The detention facility, located in the Florida Everglades, operated for approximately nine months and housed roughly 1,400 detainees at its peak.

Eve Samples of Friends of the Everglades alleges the state's spending plans greatly exceeded the $608 million Florida publicly requested last year in federal reimbursement funds.

"$1.4 billion was the original estimate for this project," Samples said. She also claimed it cost "$1.2 million a day to operate the facility," including a "$90 million contract" initially granted for portable toilets and sewage removal.

Samples also noted that the Florida Division of Emergency Management, which oversaw the facility, refused for months to provide public records. "We filed a separate lawsuit against the state of Florida to get public records about this facility," Samples said, adding that the organization still has "more claims to bring".

Meanwhile, Gov. Ron DeSantis acknowledged the planned closure at a press conference, stating the federal government had agreed to reimburse Florida.

"When the president came down, he said he's on board. The reimbursement is approved, so that will happen," DeSantis said. He defended the delay, saying the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had confirmed that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) does not reimburse immediately. However, DHS has reportedly denied the reimbursement, contradicting the governor's assertion that the funding was approved.

Relatives of detainees express concerns about where they could go 

As the center winds down operations, relatives of detainees expressed anxiety about their loved ones.

One woman, who requested anonymity, said her husband has been detained at the facility for the past five months. She learned on Wednesday that the detention center was closing, but she has no information about where her husband may be transferred. "I am concerned, like everybody," she said.

Immigration attorney Nicolas Aguado said families and attorneys are often forced to scramble when detainees are moved. "They never notify us, but we have to be on top of it," Aguado said. He advised that detainees will let their clients know where they have gone, or families can use the ICE locator.

Despite the possible closure, Friends of the Everglades said its lawsuits against the state and federal government are not going away. Samples said the organization still wants access to the site to conduct environmental studies and assess the full environmental impact caused by the detention center's operation in the Everglades.

Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin told CBS News in an exclusive interview that the department has no near-term plan to shut down Alligator Alcatraz, even as he acknowledged the soft-sided immigration detention facility is vulnerable to natural disasters, saying: "I don't think we've said we're shutting it down. That's not been an announcement we've made." The secretary said DHS understands "there's vulnerabilities" around the soft-sided facility in the middle of the Everglades, adding that "we have fires that are within 20 miles of it" and "Florida is pretty susceptible to hurricanes."