‘Alligator Alcatraz’ Set to Close After Judge’s Ruling

The Immigration Detention Center in the Florida Everglades, known colloquially as ‘Alligator Alcatraz’, continues its course towards ceasing operations by late October. This is in line with the ruling of a judge, despite objections from both state and federal governments.

U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams has dismissed requests to halt her order to wind down operations at this facility, which has been scrutinized for unsanitary conditions and allegations of detainees being isolated from the legal system. Reports indicate that the facility has begun to empty its detainee population, according to an email exchange shared on Wednesday.

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The detention center was hastily constructed two months ago on a modestly used single-runway training airport in the Everglades, a deal that saw state officials approve over $245 million in contracts. The facility officially opened on July 1 and was even toured by President Donald Trump, who suggested it could serve as a model for future detention centers nationwide.

Legal representatives for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security have expressed concerns that the judge’s order, if executed, would disrupt the federal government’s enforcement of immigration laws. The judge responded, “The federal government’s immigration enforcement goals will not be thwarted by a pause in operations.”

This development follows earlier reports that Florida’s Republican Governor, Ron DeSantis’ administration, is planning to launch a second immigration detention facility, dubbed ‘Deportation Depot’, at a state prison in north Florida.

Judge Williams predicts that the detainee population of ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ will decrease within 60 days and that once this happens, fencing, lighting, and generators should be removed. She further stated that the state and federal defendants can’t introduce new detainees to the facility.

Environmental groups and the Miccosukee Tribe have argued in their lawsuit that further construction and operations should halt until federal and state officials adhere to federal environmental laws. They claimed the facility threatened environmentally sensitive wetlands, home to protected plants and animals, and could reverse decades of environmental restoration efforts.

A second lawsuit was filed last month by civil rights groups against the state and federal governments over alleged practices at the Everglades facility. Meanwhile, another lawsuit was filed in federal court in Fort Myers, seeking a restraining order and a temporary injunction that would prevent Florida agencies and their contractors from holding detainees at ‘Alligator Alcatraz’.

Civil rights groups argue that immigration is a federal issue, and Florida agencies, along with their private contractors, have no authority to operate the facility.