A federal judge dealt a decisive blow to the Trump administration’s controversial immigration detention strategy Thursday night, ordering the shutdown of Florida’s “Alligator Alcatraz” facility within 60 days over environmental violations. U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams ruled that the hastily constructed detention center in the Florida Everglades violated federal environmental laws and must cease accepting new detainees immediately.
The preliminary injunction requires state and federal officials to dismantle key infrastructure including fencing, lighting, generators, and sewage systems that support the facility’s operations. Williams found that the project “creates irreparable harm in the form of habitat loss and increased mortality to endangered species in the area,” according to her 82-page ruling.
Environmental Violations Drive Court Decision
Williams determined that Florida and federal authorities violated the National Environmental Policy Act by failing to conduct required environmental impact studies before constructing the detention center in the protected Everglades ecosystem. The facility was built in just eight days at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport, designed to hold up to 3,000 detainees.
Environmental groups and the Miccosukee Tribe successfully argued that the facility threatens endangered species including the Florida panther and bonneted bat, while disrupting sacred tribal lands and critical water supplies for South Florida. Expert testimony revealed that new lighting alone reduced habitat for the protected Florida panther by 2,000 acres.
“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
