Judge Orders Closure Of ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ Within 60 Days

A federal judge has ordered the shutdown of the controversial immigration detention center nicknamed “Alligator Alcatraz,” located deep in the Florida Everglades.

U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams issued a preliminary injunction Thursday night that blocks the facility from accepting any new detainees and requires the site to cease operations within 60 days.

The court also froze all ongoing construction. That includes fencing, lighting, power infrastructure, and other temporary fixtures.

Once vacated, those structures must be dismantled and removed within the same 60-day window.

Williams’ ruling cites environmental damage to the Everglades, inadequate assessment procedures, and harm to protected wildlife. The plaintiffs included several environmental groups and the Miccosukee Tribe, which argued the facility violated federal environmental protections and tribal land rights.

As The Guardian reports:

In her 82-page order, published in the US district court’s southern district of Florida on Friday, Williams determined the facility was causing severe and irreparable damage to the fragile Florida Everglades.

She also noted that a plan to develop the site on which the jail was built into a massive tourist airport was rejected in the 1960s because of the harm it would have caused the the land and delicate ecosystem.

“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.”

Despite the setback, the state isn’t backing down. Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida officials have indicated they will appeal.

Environmental activists are calling the ruling a win. Critics of the facility say it lacked oversight, denied detainees basic rights, and ignored environmental safeguards.

The facility was constructed rapidly — just eight days — at a remote airstrip in the Everglades in early July 2025. Its purpose: to hold illegal migrants pending deportation.

From the start, “Alligator Alcatraz” sparked debate. While environmental concerns drove Thursday night’s ruling, civil rights groups have also raised alarms over claims of poor sanitation, limited legal access, and a broader lack of transparency.

DeSantis has argued that federal inaction at the border (particularly under the Biden administration) left Florida with few options but to act swiftly to handle migrant inflows. His administration has consistently defended the site as temporary, necessary, and covered by emergency authority.

The political fight now moves to the courts. Environmentalists want it gone. State leaders say it was never meant to last — but they’re not about to let Washington tie their hands on immigration enforcement.

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