Alligator Alcatraz revival: Appeals court pauses order shuttering detention camp

Churchill Ndonwie, Miami Herald on Sep 4, 2025

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MIAMI — An appeals court on Thursday set aside a federal judge’s order forcing Florida’s state government to slowly shut down Alligator Alcatraz and blocking the Trump administration from sending new immigrant detainees to the Everglades detention camp.

The split decision by a three-judge panel of the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals paused District Judge Kathleen Williams’ Aug. 21 order effectively closing down Alligator Alcatraz while a lawsuit challenging the construction of the facility proceeded. The appellate decision was a victory for the DeSantis and Trump administrations, which argued that the immigration detention camp was crucial to detaining immigrants prior to their deportations.

Williams had granted a preliminary injunction in a lawsuit filed by environmental groups and the Miccosukee Tribe, which argued that the state and federal governments had not followed federal environmental regulations while setting up the site. Williams’ ruling had barred any new construction from taking place, and asked the government to begin stripping down the detention camp.

Thursday’s appeals court ruling allows the government to continue operations at the facility after it had begun transferring detainees to other detention facilities.