U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has transferred detainees out of "Alligator Alcatraz," the makeshift Everglades detention facility that became a centerpiece of the Trump administration's deportation push, citing safety risks tied to the Atlantic hurricane season.

The move comes as forecasters track the season's first organized system in the Gulf of America, designated Potential Tropical Cyclone One, CBS News reported Tuesday.

An ICE spokesperson said the transfers were carried out "for the safety of the illegal alien detainees," who were moved to other facilities. The agency did not detail where detainees were sent or how many remained at the site, which sits on a remote airstrip deep in the Everglades.

CBS News Miami reported last month that state contractors operating the facility had been told it would be wound down, with about 1,400 detainees still on site.

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Markwayne Mullin subsequently told CBS the department had no near-term plans to close Alligator Alcatraz outright, but acknowledged weather-related "vulnerabilities" at the soft-sided complex.

"We have plans in case of a natural emergency such as a wildfire or hurricane, to have to be able to bring it down and pull the individuals out," Mullin said.

The timing of the transfers coincides with the first tropical threat of the 2026 season.

The National Hurricane Center on Tuesday designated a system in the southwestern Gulf as Potential Tropical Cyclone One, with forecasters warning of heavy rain, flash flooding, and possible storm surge along the Gulf Coast.

NOAA's seasonal outlook, released in May, projected a below-normal Atlantic hurricane season but cautioned that warmer-than-average ocean temperatures could still fuel significant storms.

Opened last year, Alligator Alcatraz housed detainees in air-conditioned tents with bunk beds and chain-link cells as part of the administration's effort to expand ICE detention capacity to a record 73,000 beds.

The White House promoted the site as a low-cost template for state-run immigration lockups, and President Donald Trump, during a visit last summer, said of detainees, "We're going to teach them how to run away from an alligator if they escape prison."

Former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem framed the facility as a warning to migrants who declined to "self-deport."

The facility has faced sustained legal and political pressure since opening.

Immigration advocates, environmental groups, and the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians challenged its operation in court, while detainees alleged inhumane conditions, including spoiled food, broken toilets, and limited access to counsel.

The administration has rejected those claims.