A federal judge has issued a 14-day temporary restraining order halting construction at the controversial immigration detention center in the Everglades — known as “Alligator Alcatraz.” While the facility may continue holding detainees, no new construction, paving, excavation, or lighting installations may proceed during this pause.
Per Newsweek:
President Donald Trump, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and other administration officials have touted the facility—built by repurposing the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport in Ochopeé, Florida—as representing the Trump administration’s hardline stance on immigration enforcement and border security.
Critics, meanwhile, have said detainees at the facility are forced to endure unsafe, unsanitary and inhumane living conditions and that “Alligator Alcatraz” runs afoul of environmental laws.
U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams ruled that the detention facility can continue to operate and hold people detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement but that workers constructing the detention center cannot do any work on building it for the next two weeks while legal arguments continue to play out.
Williams’ ruling temporarily blocking new construction on “Alligator Alcatraz” comes as environmental groups argue that the detention facility violates environmental laws.
What’s Behind the Order
- Environmental concerns: Plaintiffs — including environmental advocates and the Miccosukee Indian Tribe — argue the site threatens wetlands, endangered species, and restoration efforts, while bypassing required environmental reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
- Jurisdictional dispute: Florida and federal officials have challenged the lawsuit’s venue, claiming it was filed in the wrong district — despite Miami-Dade County owning the property. The center lies within Collier County, which falls outside the Southern District.
The legal pause is one of multiple challenges targeting “Alligator Alcatraz,” including claims of detainee rights violations and environmental damage.
Florida, backed by the DOJ, argues this is not a federal project — asserting that state authority exempts it from NEPA review.
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
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Start impeaching!
For many Floridians, liberal, independent, and conservative, this issue is solely about the environmental aspect. We are not in opposition to holding facilities, prisons, jails, detention centers, etc. for illegals. Rather, we are VERY concerned about the damage this massive project is perpetrating to the fragile Everglades. We have worked for decades, authorized and spent millions (if not more) to restore the Everglades. The reason this “airport” was abandoned over 50 years ago is because of the negative environmental impact. I am more conservative than most anyone I know, and I am a fervent believer that we are required to be good stewards of God’s creation. This should be the focus. I hear almost no one in media speaking about the environmental aspect. It is NOT political for most of us. This is not the place for any such facility, and especially with no end in sight. Every day, and every night (the light pollution is highly detrimental to the nocturnal species), there is damage. Our Florida panther is already endangered. We have any number of abandoned and derelict areas (shopping malls) in Florida where these detention centers can be erected—places with existing infrastructure. Why not confiscate those areas, as they did with this area? If you are a journalist, you need to be delving into the facts of this situation. Please. Thank you.
Another female judge. These females are busy, busy, busy. Busybodies, that is.