A federal judge has ruled that Alligator Alcatraz must cease new construction and no new detainees can be admitted.
The 82-page order from U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams states that operations at the Everglades facility must cease within 60 days.
Judge rules Alligator Alcatraz must cease operations
The facility also can't expand any further, including installing any new industrial lighting, fencing or other infrastructure.
The state and federal government are also ordered to remove most of the infrastructure from the site within 60 days—that includes the fencing, generators, sewage and waste disposal.
PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION ISSUED ON THE EVERGLADES IMMIGRANT DETENTION CAMP!
The State of Florida must halt ALL NEW CONSTRUCTION, cannot bring *any* new detainees, and in 60 days they must dismantle the fencing, lighting and other infrastructure as the population diminishes. pic.twitter.com/bUqdPHOlQB — Rep. Anna V. Eskamani, PhD 🔨 (@AnnaForFlorida) August 22, 2025
This preliminary injunction comes after a lawsuit was filed by environmental groups, arguing that required environmental studies were not performed before construction began.
WPTV has been closely tracking the lawsuit against the state and federal governments by the environmental group Friends of the Everglades and the Miccosukee Tribe of Florida.
"This is a landmark victory for the Everglades and countless Americans who believe this imperiled wilderness should be protected, not exploited,” said Eve Samples, executive director of Friends of the Everglades, in a statement. “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.”
The injunction formalized a temporary halt Williams had ordered two weeks ago as witnesses continued to testify in a multiday hearing to determine whether construction should end until the ultimate resolution of the case.
The judge said that she expected the population of the facility to decline within 60 days through the transferring of the detainees to other facilities, and once that happened, fencing, lighting and generators should be removed.
She wrote the state and federal defendants can't bring anyone other than those who are already being detained at the facility onto the property. The order does not prohibit modification or repairs to existing facilities, “which are solely for the purpose of increasing safety or mitigating environmental or other risks at the site," she said.
The preliminary injunction includes “those who are in active concert or participation with” the state of Florida or federal defendants or their officers, agents, employees," the judge wrote in an 82-page order.
The judge said state officials never explained sufficiently why the facility needed to be in the middle of the Florida Everglades.
“What is apparent, however, is that in their haste to construct the detention camp, the State did not consider alternative locations,” Williams said.
WPTV Investigates Environmental court battle over 'Alligator Alcatraz' exposes impacts on state Jamie Ostroff
State DeSantis admin left county officials in the dark as detention facility built Kate Payne, Associated Press
Miami-Dade Attorney says client had no access to running water at Alligator Alcatraz Ethan Stein
iEugene72 on August 22nd, 2025 at 02:33 UTC »
Literally the entire script of project 2025 is, "ignore the courts".
This isn't a joke, this is the byword of what they go by.
Because they are literally ready to turn the US military on the American citizens, judges, anyone.... For all teh screaming the right did about how "liberals are ruining the country" They were actually right to an extent... Liberals ruin fascism because liberals believe in freedom, equality and growing.
Right wingers believe entirely in control, consumption, profit and of course, insane amounts of pedophilia.
Realistic_Volume_927 on August 22nd, 2025 at 02:28 UTC »
Then an appeal court will just void it like they did on Trumps case just this week. Corruption in front of our eyes.
ElectronicFerret on August 22nd, 2025 at 02:26 UTC »
As usual, the question here is: what will happen when they don't? It should just be assumed at this point that they're going to delay or ignore every single court order.