Florida officials are negotiating with the Trump administration to close the Everglades immigration detention center, which has cost the state more than $1 million daily to operate. The high-profile facility opened last July as part of aggressive immigration enforcement efforts but has proven too expensive and ineffective, according to federal officials. Private vendors have struggled with fronting costs for the remote, swampy location.

The state requested $608 million in federal reimbursement for operating the center, which houses nearly 1,400 detainees, with two-thirds classified as noncriminal. Despite Gov. Ron DeSantis calling it a success, the facility faced criticism over conditions and legal challenges. The Department of Homeland Security has determined the center's operations are financially unsustainable and no longer effective for federal detention purposes.

The closure would mark a significant retreat from Florida's immigration enforcement strategy and potentially impact the budget for private contractors involved in the operation. The detention center, which gained international notoriety for its remote location and tent-based structure, represented an ambitious but costly approach to immigration enforcement that may not deliver the intended return on investment.