A federal judge has ordered the state of Florida to halt construction and operations at the controversial “Alligator Alcatraz” deportation center at Big Cypress in the everglades until a full environmental study is completed.
In an 82-page preliminary injunction issued Thursday, U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams prohibited officials and contractors from expanding the facility. The order bars the installation of industrial lighting, paving, fencing, excavating or new dormitories, tents or administrative buildings. Authorities were also blocked from bringing in new detainees beyond those already housed there when the order took effect.
Williams’ ruling requires agencies to begin removing temporary fencing, high-intensity “Sunbelt” lighting, generators, sewage systems and other infrastructure within 60 days, once the population declines enough to allow safe removals. The judge wrote that the decision enforces conservation laws tied to decades of Everglades protection efforts.
Gov. Ron DeSantis, speaking at an Aug. 22 press conference, called the decision “not unexpected.” He said, “This was a judge that was not going to give us a fair shake, this was preordained. Very much an activist judge that is trying to do policy from the bench.”
DeSantis added, “This is not going to deter us. We are going to continue working on the deportations,” and noted a separate facility outside Jacksonville, dubbed the “Deportation Depot,” is expected to open soon.
To underscore the need for additional detention facilities, DeSantis pointed to a recent case in Fort Pierce involving Harjinder Singh, an undocumented immigrant, who “did an illegal u-turn with a semi-truck, causing a van to collide with the truck, killing all three occupants.”
Environmental groups celebrated the ruling.
“This decision from the judge is a victory not only for the Everglades, but for the rule of law and holding government accountable,” Eve Samples, executive director of Friends of the Everglades, one of the involved parties in the suit, said. “It’s really a reminder that environmental laws in this country stand on equal footing with other laws and that when they are upheld, they can really have a remarkable impact not only for the Everglades, but for our public lands across the country.”
Samples added that light pollution from the site was “visible from up to 15 miles away,” disrupting stargazing and nocturnal wildlife such as the endangered Florida panther.
“This was an area where there were once pristine, incredible dark skies, one of the best dark sky areas in the southeast United States,” she said. “Another thing that this order does is it will protect Everglades wetlands from further degradation that could be caused by the addition of new asphalt at the site. We documented about 20 acres of new asphalt laid at the site since construction started in late June. It was installed at the time without sufficient storm water treatment in the area, so polluted runoff is a major concern in the Everglades.”
Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., voiced his support in a press release, but said the fight isn't over.
“But our fight doesn’t end here. I remain committed to holding this Administration accountable, and I will continue to show up unannounced to this and any other facility like it in Florida and across the country to protect innocent immigrants who are being racially targeted. This ruling is a step forward, but the struggle for justice continues. I won’t stop fighting,” he said.
The state quickly appealed the decision from Williams.
"Surprising to no one, Judge Williams, an Obama appointee, ruled against us and is attempting to close Alligator Alcatraz. Our appeal was ready to go and was filed within hours of her unlawful ruling,” Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said in a statement posted to X, formerly known as Twitter: “
Samples said her group is prepared for the fight.
“We are prepared for a fight at the appellate level. And we are confident that the evidence we presented in court will hold up,” she said. “It is very hard to imagine that any rigorous environmental impact study would conclude that a massive detention center in the middle of the Everglades is the best alternative.”
If upheld by the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the ruling would require Florida to conduct a comprehensive environmental impact study before resuming operations at the site. Until a decision is made, all operations and construction at the site must cease.