Court Halts ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ Shutdown, Florida Detention Center To Remain Open
A federal panel grants a temporary stay on a lower court’s order, siding with state and federal officials who argued the facility’s continued operation is in the public interest.
A federal appeals court panel has temporarily halted a lower court’s order to shut down the immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades, a facility dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz.” The decision by the three-judge panel in Atlanta, issued Thursday, allows operations to continue at the site, which a federal judge had previously ordered to be wound down by the end of October.
The 2-1 decision by the panel to stay the preliminary injunction issued by U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams in Miami was made “pending the outcome of an appeal” and was deemed to be in the “public interest.” This ruling marks a significant victory for the state and federal governments, which had appealed Williams’ order and sought a stay.
Judge Williams’ initial injunction was the result of a lawsuit filed by environmental groups, including Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity, along with the Miccosukee Tribe.
The lawsuit alleged that state and federal defendants had failed to comply with federal law requiring an environmental review for a facility located in the sensitive wetlands of the Everglades. The facility was constructed on an isolated airstrip surrounded by wetlands.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ administration fast-tracked the construction of the facility in late June, aiming to assist President Donald Trump’s efforts to deport individuals in the U.S. illegally.
DeSantis has defended the remote location as a deterrent against escape, likening it to the island prison in California after which it was named. President Trump toured the facility in July and suggested it could serve as a model for future lockups nationwide.
Following the appellate court’s ruling, Governor DeSantis took to social media, stating that claims of the facility’s imminent shutdown were false. “We said we would fight that. We said the mission would continue,” DeSantis wrote. “So Alligator Alcatraz is in fact, like we’ve always said, open for business.”
The Department of Homeland Security echoed this sentiment, calling the ruling “a win for the American people, the rule of law and common sense.” In a statement, DHS asserted that the lawsuit was not genuinely about environmental impacts but rather an attempt by “open-borders activists and judges trying to keep law enforcement from removing dangerous criminal aliens from our communities.”
The legal battle continues as the state and federal governments appeal Williams’ ruling. The federal government has maintained that it is not responsible for the facility’s operations as it has not provided funding, despite Florida seeking federal grant money for a portion of its costs.
Meanwhile, Florida argues that the federal environmental review law does not apply to states. In court papers filed this week, the state of Florida indicated it planned to resume accepting detainees at the facility if the stay was granted.
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