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Detainees relocated from 'Alligator Alcatraz' following judge's order
The federal judge cited environmental law violations to halt construction and order dismantling of the $245 million facility, designed for 3,000 but housing about 300 detainees, officials said.
- Last week, U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams ordered parts of the Alligator Alcatraz, immigrant detention facility in the Florida Everglades, dismantled and halted new construction, prompting the Department of Homeland Security to begin relocating detainees.
- Environmental groups and the Miccosukee Tribe argued the temporary detention center caused irreparable environmental harm, lacked a proper NEPA review process, and threatened protected Florida Everglades wetlands and endangered species.
- Records show Alligator Alcatraz cost over $245 million, was designed for up to 3,000 detainees but recent counts were about 350; emails reveal furloughs of about 100 around August 15 and 322 around August 23, 2025.
- The injunction barred new detainee transfers and required removal of generators, sewage and waste receptacles, expecting the site largely stripped and shut down within 60 days.
- Florida immediately appealed and the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals assigned a docket, while Williams declined to pause her order, setting a legal precedent for environmental oversight as Florida vows to continue fighting in court.
43 Articles
43 Articles
Judge’s ruling against ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ detention center could affect detainee rights case
A federal judge’s landmark ruling against a controversial immigration detention center in the Everglades is now poised to affect a separate lawsuit over detainees’ legal rights, with another judge set to review the case next week.The state-run facility, known as “Alligator Alcatraz,” was ordered to wind down operations after U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams found government defendants violated the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). T…
Omaha World-Herald
News & RecordClosing detention center to cost taxpayers $218M
ORLANDO, Fla. — Florida taxpayers could be on the hook for $218 million the state spent to convert a remote training airport in the Everglades into an immigration detention center dubbed " Alligator Alcatraz."
The notorious deportation camp is considered a symbol of the controversial American migration policy. Now it is to be dismantled.
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