A federal judge in Miami has ordered the closure of the immigration detention facility known as “Alligator Alcatraz,” giving authorities 60 days to wind down operations. The ruling, issued by U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams on Thursday, also prohibits any additional detainees from being brought to the site during the transition period.
The decision follows a temporary restraining order earlier this month that halted further construction at the camp, which was built on a disused airfield in the Florida Everglades in late June. Judge Williams concluded in her 82-page opinion that the facility was causing “severe and irreparable” damage to the surrounding wetlands and endangered species. She noted that a similar development plan for the site was rejected in the 1960s due to environmental risks.
Currently, about 700 detainees remain at the facility, though it has previously held as many as 1,400. The judge ordered that all construction materials, fencing, generators, and fixtures used to operate the camp must be removed after the closure period.
The ruling is considered a victory for environmental groups and a Native American tribe that sued the federal and state governments, arguing the rushed construction violated environmental protections. “This is a landmark victory for the Everglades,” said Eve Samples of Friends of the Everglades, one of the organizations behind the lawsuit.
State attorneys indicated they would appeal the decision. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has separately announced plans to open another immigration detention facility at a former prison near Gainesville.
The Department of Homeland Security and Florida’s emergency management agency, which operates the camp for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, have not yet issued public responses.
A press conference by the coalition behind the lawsuit is scheduled to provide further details on the ruling.
