A federal judge just poured cold water on Florida's fast-track migrant detention experiment deep in the Everglades.
The New York Post reported that the judge’s order blocks the expansion and further operation of “Alligator Alcatraz,” a temporary migrant detention site hastily built on swampland, and requires that some key portions of the facility be dismantled within two months.
U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams issued the injunction Thursday, freezing future developments at the sprawling 30-square-mile compound in Ochopee, Florida.
The site, dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz,” sits on a repurposed airfield once owned by Miami-Dade County, converted into a detention hub in just over a week.
Governor Ron DeSantis had greenlit construction under emergency powers, opening the facility in July with space for 2,000 unauthorized migrants and ambitions to double that capacity. That expansion is now permanently off the table—at least for the time being.
The ruling came in response to a legal challenge from the Miccosukee Tribe and a coalition of environmental advocacy groups. They argued the facility's placement in the fragile Everglades region could disturb endangered species, taint tribal drinking water, and violate longstanding national environmental oversight laws.
In particular, plaintiffs claim the project bypassed the National Environmental Policy Act, a federal law that mandates thorough impact reviews.
Though the facility was constructed by the state, opponents argue that ongoing cooperation with federal immigration authorities brings it under NEPA jurisdiction.
Judge Williams didn't shut down Alligator Alcatraz completely—but she did slam the door on further expansion. Her order blocks any state or federal personnel from bringing additional detainees to the site after the ruling took effect.
She also directed state and federal officials to dismantle key infrastructure within 60 days, including fencing, detention lights, power generators, sewage systems, and waste-handling equipment—once the population drops to a level where it can be safely executed.
“Maintaining the status quo is one thing,” Williams wrote. “Allowing the detention camp to continue expanding its infrastructure and operations poses an even more formidable challenge." Indeed, once these projects are built, changing course can prove more thorny than simply pausing them early.
The state’s legal team countered that since Florida built the complex with its own resources, it wasn’t subject to federal environmental rules.
Jesse Panuccio, representing Florida, said federal compliance demands didn’t apply to a project carried out under state authority.
Williams appeared unconvinced, noting that if the court eventually determines NEPA does apply, undoing an operational facility becomes complicated, expensive, and potentially irreversible. Her ruling keeps pressure on both state and federal actors while the broader legal questions remain under review.
It’s worth noting: a separate court order issued earlier this month had already suspended construction at the site. That order remains active, meaning Thursday’s decision is effectively an added barrier atop an existing legal roadblock.
The Miccosukee Tribe and allied environmental groups welcomed the court's intervention as a win for conservation and tribal sovereignty. They maintain that the makeshift prison camp threatens more than just landscapes—it interferes with cultural lifeways and essential resources like clean water.
Supporters of the detention facility argue the state acted out of necessity, responding to rising levels of unauthorized migration with limited federal assistance. Still, the rushed rollout, lack of environmental scrutiny, and remote location guaranteed controversy from day one.
President Donald Trump’s visit to the facility on July 1 caused a burst of attention, lending political weight to the site. Even so, neither the Department of Homeland Security nor Governor DeSantis’ office has responded publicly to the injunction as of press time.
Now on judicial lockdown, Alligator Alcatraz remains open—but its days of scaling up are over, at least for the foreseeable future. The judge’s order leaves little room for expansion until the NEPA question is settled decisively.
While the judge acknowledged the site “may have taken only eight days” to construct, she emphasized that reversing potential environmental damage would be no such sprint. “The Court has endeavored to provide that temporal accommodation in its Order,” she wrote.