What happens to Alligator Alcatraz after judge’s ruling? A look at next steps
U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams on Thursday ordered the DeSantis administration to shutter the controversial detention center in the Florida Everglades known as Alligator Alcatraz within 60 days, ruling in a lawsuit brought on by environmental groups against the state and federal government.
What is the lawsuit about?
The lawsuit was filed in June by the Friends of the Everglades, the Center for Biological Diversity, Earthjustice, and later joined by the Miccosukee Tribe. They argued that by rushing to build a detention facility in the middle of the Everglades, the federal and state governments had bypassed federal rules for assessing environmental harm. They presented different experts who spoke to the long-term damage of the site and habitat loss for key animals in the Everglades ecosystem, such as the Florida panther. They requested the preliminary injunction to shut down the site.
The government has dismissed the accusation and said there is no evidence of environmental harm. The federal government has distanced itself from the case, saying all operations have been run by the state largely without its involvement.
What does the state have to do to comply with the judge’s order?
Williams, in her ruling, stopped the state and federal government from any activity that expands the detention site, including installing any new industrial lighting, constructing any new pavement and additional fences. No new tents or dormitories can be added. They are only allowed to make modifications or repairs to existing facilities at the detention center.
The government is also barred from bringing in new detainees to the Everglades detention facility. Within two months, it has to remove many of the temporary structures it put in place, such as fencing, lighting, generators, sewage, and other fixtures that made the site operable. The government has to shut down the temporary detention facility.
What are the state and federal government doing to fight the order?
The government can appeal Williams’ decision. After the District Court ruling, the Florida Division of Emergency Management, which oversees the operation of the detention site, filed a notice that it intends to appeal the judge’s order. The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals has yet to assign a docket number, and the state has yet to file its arguments on the merits of the appeal.
What will happen to the detainees currently at the Alligator Alcatraz?
The number of detainees at Alligator Alcatraz continues to fluctuate. As of Thursday, there were fewer than 400 detainees at the detention camp. The state could transfer the detainees to the Krome Detention Center in western Miami. Governor Ron DeSantis, in August, announced plans to turn the Baker Correctional Institution in North Florida into another immigrant detention facility that would hold up to 2,000 detainees. The state could look to move Alligator Alcatraz detainees to the new site — ‘deportation depo.’
This story was originally published August 22, 2025 at 5:24 PM.