Florida Gov. DeSantis says deportation flights from 'Alligator Alcatraz' have begun

OCHOPEE, Fla. (AP) — Deportation flights carrying detainees from the immigration detention center known as ” Alligator Alcatraz ″ to other countries began in the past few days, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Friday.

The flights operated by the Department of Homeland Security have removed more about 100 detainees from the immigration detention center in the remote Everglades, said DeSantis, who expects that number to increase soon.

Critics have condemned the facility as a cruel and inhumane while DeSantis and other Republican state officials have defended it as part of the state’s aggressive push to support President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration.