Alligator Alcatraz Expansion: A federal judge on Thursday issued a preliminary injunction blocking the expansion of a controversial immigration detention center – Alligator Alcatraz – built in the Florida Everglades. The facility has faced strong opposition from environmental advocates who say it violates federal laws designed to protect the region’s fragile ecosystem.
US District Judge Kathleen Williams’ ruling formalized a temporary halt she had ordered two weeks earlier while testimony was ongoing in a multi-day hearing. The injunction now requires the state to begin winding down operations at the site.
The state of Florida filed a notice of appeal Thursday night, just hours after the ruling was handed down.
Judge Kathleen Williams Orders Transfer of Detainees
Responding to the decision, Governor Ron DeSantis’ spokesman Alex Lanfranconi said, “The deportations will continue until morale improves.”
In her order, Judge Williams directed that the population at the facility be reduced within 60 days by transferring detainees to other centers. Once emptied, she said, fencing, lighting, and generators must be removed.
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The injunction prevents state and federal defendants from bringing any new detainees to the site, limiting its use to those already being held. However, the order does allow modifications or repairs aimed solely at “increasing safety or mitigating environmental or other risks at the site.”
Williams’ 82-page ruling also made clear that the injunction applies to “those who are in active concert or participation with” Florida state officials, federal defendants, and their employees or agents.
Why Has Kathleen Williams Blocked The Expansion of Alligator Alcatraz?
Judge Williams criticized state officials for failing to justify why the facility needed to be located in the middle of the Everglades. “What is apparent, however, is that in their haste to construct the detention camp, the State did not consider alternative locations,” she wrote.
The ruling gives both state and federal agencies time to conduct required environmental assessments before any further activity at the site. Williams emphasized the decades-long efforts to protect the Everglades.
“Since that time, 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.”
Trump Touted Alligator Alcatraz as Model
President Donald Trump toured the site last month, describing it as a potential model for future immigration lockups as his administration sought to expand deportation infrastructure.
But environmental groups and the Miccosukee Tribe strongly opposed the project, filing lawsuits arguing that construction threatens wetlands home to protected species and undermines billions of dollars in restoration efforts.
Eve Samples, executive director of Friends of the Everglades, welcomed the ruling. “It 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,” she said.
Miccosukee Tribe Chairman Talbert Cypress added, “We will always stand up for our culture, our sovereignty, and for the Everglades.”
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
