MIAMI — A federal court ruled Thursday that the state of Florida and the Trump administration can’t add to the population of the immigration detention facility in the Everglades dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz” — and must take steps to begin dismantling it.
U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams said in a case that challenged the facility’s operation on environmental grounds that the state must stop construction at the facility and, within 60 days, remove fencing, lighting, and generators.
Florida’s top emergency management official, Kevin Guthrie, quickly appealed the ruling.
Authorities have not disclosed the number of people held at the detention facility in the vast wetlands west of Miami.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis opened it in July and said it would eventually hold up to 4,000 people facing deportation under President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.
Williams noted that the detention center was intended to be a short-term stopover for people facing deportation and that her ruling would result in a steady population decline through attrition.
“Every Florida governor, every Florida senator, and countless local and national political figures, including presidents, have publicly pledged their unequivocal support for the restoration, conservation and protection of the Everglades,” she wrote. “This order does nothing more than uphold the basic requirements of legislation designed to fulfill those promises.”
The ruling by Williams, an appointee of President Barack Obama, would make it impossible to operate Alligator Alcatraz. It follows an order she issued two weeks ago to halt construction in response to the suit brought by Friends of the Everglades, the Center for Biological Diversity and the Miccosukee Tribe.
Their suit argued that state and federal officials failed to follow the National Environmental Policy Act, which requires the federal government to conduct a review of the environmental effects of a project, to collect public comment and consider alternatives. The air strip housing the facility is surrounded by the federally protected Big Cypress National Preserve, a fragile ecosystem that’s home to endangered species.
A White House spokesperson referred questions about the ruling to Florida officials and to the Department of Homeland Security. Alex Lanfranconi, spokesperson for DeSantis, said, “The deportations will continue until morale improves.”
Eve Samples, executive director of Friends of the Everglades, said in a statement that the ruling “sends a clear message that environmental laws must be respected by leaders at the highest levels of our government — and there are consequences for ignoring them.”
During hearings on the suit, the environmental groups said the detention facility posed a threat to endangered species, including the Florida panther, while the Miccosukee Tribe said the project posed a threat to their ability to hunt, fish and gather plants in that part of the Everglades. The airstrip is within 3 miles of 10 tribal villages.
The state and federal government argued in response that they could bypass NEPA's requirements because the operation was built and run by the state, not the federal government.
But Williams noted in her order that the detention center used the standards set by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and agreements with the federal government to carry out immigration enforcement.
“That the deputized officers’ regular salaries are paid, required uniforms are bought, and standard work hours are controlled by their state agency supervisors is not germane” to questions about the facility, she wrote, “because their status there as deputized officers and their activities at the camp are controlled by ICE.”
The airstrip is located at what had previously been called the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport. The state and federal government argued the area saw roughly 150 flights daily in the six months before the construction without any objection from environmental or tribal groups.
The state also cast illegal immigration as an emergency and warned that crime committed by people in the country without legal status amounted to a threat to public safety.
“Alligator Alcatraz" is facing several additional lawsuits, including one that alleges detainees have not been given adequate access to their attorneys. A federal judge moved that case to Florida’s central district this week, which could delay a decision on the matter.
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