DeSantis hands court evidence that Alligator Alcatraz is closed

July 21, 2026, 5:07 a.m. ET

Attorneys for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis filed evidence to prove the "Alligator Alcatraz" immigrant detention center is closed.

A lawsuit was filed alleging the state violated First Amendment rights by limiting detainees' access to legal counsel.

The state argues the lawsuit is moot because the facility has been dismantled and no longer holds detainees.

Attorneys representing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis filed evidence for a federal judge to prove that the controversial immigration detention center dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz" was closed, days after a judge said the facility's status was unclear.

This included declarations from two state employees and images of an empty airstrip in the Florida Everglades.

A lawsuit was originally filed after detainees and others argued the state was violating First Amendment rights by not providing unsupervised, unmonitored access to attorneys for migrant detainees held at Alligator Alcatraz, which was open for just shy of a year.

In response, U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell ordered a pause on the case until she weighs in on whether to dismiss the lawsuit, since the state is arguing the facility's closure means the case is moot.

"All facilities have been dismantled and removed from the site, and the site is now no longer capable of holding detainees," wrote Tim Reardon, a deputy incident commander at the Florida Division of Emergency Management, in a declaration.

"Since the Facility no longer exists, and there are no detainees onsite, there are no detainees on the premises who could possibly need access to counsel."

The judge ordered the state to hand over "official evidence," after an organization suing the state and the Department of Homeland Security argued that statements to the press don't count.

The plaintiffs' attorneys also said that DeSantis, in a press conference late June, said the chances for reopening were "negligible," and that it was unclear whether the state would reopen the facility. An attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union did not return a request for comment.

This lawsuit was one of several filed against the state over Alligator Alcatraz. The other lawsuits focused on environmental impact and air pollution.

This reporting content is supported by a partnership with Freedom Forum and Journalism Funding Partners. USA Today Network-Florida First Amendment reporter Stephany Matat is based in Tallahassee, Fla. She can be reached at [email protected]. On X: @stephanymatat.