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The Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) spent $458.5 million from emergency funds on law enforcement against illegal immigration in the past year.
The entity accumulated that amount in state emergency funds for immigration control operations during the last fiscal year, according to records published on Transparency Florida, the state's accountability portal.
The most recent information comes from a budget amendment submitted on May 6, in which FDEM notified the Legislature that it would allocate an additional $45.3 million from the Emergency Preparedness and Response Fund to cover bills for fiscal year 2025-2026 related to "illegal migration," bringing the annual total to nearly $460 million.
According to a report by NBC Miami, the records do not specify how the money was spent, other than indicating it was for "illegal immigration," and officials from FDEM did not respond to requests for comment.
Since Governor Ron DeSantis issued his first emergency declaration regarding illegal immigration in January 2023, Florida has spent a total of 573 million dollars on immigration control operations, according to a report from the FDEM in January of this year.
That expense includes the creation of two state detention centers: Alligator Alcatraz, located in the Everglades, and Deportation Depot, in northern Florida.
DeSantis has renewed the state of emergency more than twenty times—every 60 days—since January 2023, allowing him to access the fund without prior legislative approval.
The fund was created in 2022 for hurricanes and natural disasters; since then, the Legislature has deposited $4.77 billion into it, although its current balance is around $199 million.
The Legislature blocked FDEM from signing new contracts funded by the budget starting on February 17 of this year, when it did not renew the authorization, although the state can continue to pay invoices for contracts made prior to that date.
Following that blockage, the legislators approved the SB 7040 bill to reactivate the fund with new restrictions: expenses for non-natural emergencies lasting more than 60 days will require approval from the Legislative Budget Commission; the funds may not be used to purchase aircraft, vehicles, or vessels; and federal reimbursements will be allocated to pay outstanding invoices from suppliers.
The project was approved by the Legislature but has not yet been sent to DeSantis's desk, leaving the funding in legal limbo.
Alligator Alcatraz, inaugurated on July 3, 2025, and built in eight days using state emergency powers, housed approximately 1,400 detainees at the time of the most recent reports (of which between 700 and 800 were Cubans), and 70% did not have a final order of deportation.
A federal appeals court allowed in April for the center to remain open, ruling that there were no federal funds involved in its construction, which exempted the state from complying with federal environmental regulations.
DeSantis confirmed this week that his administration has held conversations with federal officials regarding the possible closure of the center, but he insisted that it will remain operational as long as the Department of Homeland Security needs assistance housing migrants.
"If they stop sending us migrants, we would obviously dismantle it. But that will be a decision they will have to make," DeSantis stated to the press in Fort Myers.
The federal government approved $608 million to reimburse Florida for its immigration control efforts, but that money has not yet been transferred to the state; an initial payment of $58.3 million was approved and its transfer was expected within three to five business days, according to reports from last Saturday.
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