A federal appeals court has stepped in to keep “Alligator Alcatraz,” a controversial immigration detention facility in the heart of the Florida Everglades, running for the time being, the CNN reports.
On Thursday, the Eleventh US Circuit Court of Appeals temporarily blocked a lower court order that would have forced Florida and the Department of Homeland Security to start dismantling the facility within 60 days. The 2-1 decision allows the detention center to continue operating while the legal fight moves forward.
US District Judge Kathleen Williams, who ordered the facility to be dismantled, sided with environmental groups and a Native American tribe who argued that the detention center should have been subject to federal environmental reviews before expanding in such a sensitive ecosystem.
Following William’s order last month, DHS began moving detainees out of the site, while state officials indicated they would go along with the ruling.
On Thursday, however, the appeals court put Judge Williams’ order on hold, saying Florida and federal officials are likely to succeed in showing that the detention center isn’t covered by the National Environmental Policy Act because it’s run by the state and hasn’t received federal funding. That means Alligator Alcatraz can keep operating for now, even as the larger legal battle over environmental harm, tribal claims, and federal oversight continues.
The controversy surrounding Alligator Alcatraz involves immigration policy, environmental concerns, and Native American rights all at once. While the facility remains open for now, its long-term future is still uncertain.
The majority opinion was written by Judge Barbara Lagoa and joined by Judge Elizabeth Branch, both appointed during President Trump’s first term. Judge Adalberto Jordan, nominated by President Obama, issued the dissent.
The Department of Homeland Security lauded the ruling, calling it a “win for the American people, the rule of law and common sense,” CBS News reported.
“This lawsuit was never about the environmental impacts of turning a developed airport into a detention facility,” the department wrote in a post on X. “It has and will always be about open-borders activists and judges trying to keep law enforcement from removing dangerous criminal aliens from our communities, full stop.”
In a social media post, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier called the stay a “victory against an activist judge.”
“The 11th Circuit not only blocked Judge (Kathleen) Williams’ order to close Alligator Alcatraz, but they blocked her from proceeding with the case until the appeal is complete. A win for Florida and President Trump’s agenda!”
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