A federal judge has slammed the brakes on Florida’s controversial migrant detention center deep in the Everglades — nicknamed “Alligator Alcatraz.”
No new detainees can be sent there. Everything that was built to support it — fencing, floodlights, gas lines, sewage systems, generators — must be torn down and removed within 60 days. The judge’s ruling leaves no room for doubt: this site is being forced to shut down.
“The Court is relying on programmatic attrition of the camp’s population within the next sixty days,” wrote Judge Kathleen Williams in her order, which effectively spells the end of the site.
The emergency ruling came in response to a lawsuit filed by environmental groups and the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida. They warned the facility was doing damage to one of the most sensitive ecosystems in the country — and their evidence convinced the judge.
“We are so relieved,” said Elise Pautler Bennet, an attorney for one of the environmental groups behind the suit. “We feel we presented voluminous evidence that is presented in her (Judge Williams’) order showing this was the right decision to protect the environment and the interest of Americans in the Everglades.”
“Alligator Alcatraz” sits on a remote strip of land at the Collier Dade Training and Transition Airport, surrounded by Everglades National Park, Big Cypress National Preserve, and tribal lands. It was slapped together using FEMA trailers and tents surrounded by fences, barely an hour from Miami.
Since opening, it has drawn sharp criticism. Lawmakers and legal observers who toured the site described inhumane conditions — migrants held in cages, sweltering heat, bugs everywhere, and barely enough food to eat.
To make matters worse, no one seems to know who’s really in charge. Florida says it’s running the site with help from local agencies and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. But when asked who decides who gets detained, the federal government points back to the state. That confusion has raised serious concerns about accountability and oversight.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has repeatedly defended the site, calling it “temporary” and “necessary” to reduce the pressure on jails and police departments. But now the courts have stepped in.
This is just the first of two major lawsuits facing “Alligator Alcatraz.” A second lawsuit challenges whether detainees there have any meaningful access to legal counsel.
Florida has already said it plans to appeal Judge Williams’ ruling. But for now, the clock is ticking.
In a response to CNN, Alex Lanfranconi, spokesperson for Governor DeSantis, had only one thing to say: “The deportations will continue until morale improves.”
