Florida Judge Orders Officials to Shut Down ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ Migrant Detention Center

A judge from the Southern District of Florida has ordered state officials to dismantle and shut down a mass migrant detention and deportation facility, often referred to as “Alligator Alcatraz,” within 60 days. The facility was promoted by the Trump administration.

Environmental activists, who brought the lawsuit, argued that the project violated the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), which mandates environmental review processes for major federal actions that significantly affect the human environment, according to the ruling.

Additionally, Florida’s Miccosukee Tribe claimed the facility limited their access to the surrounding area and posed risks to their food and water supply.

Construction of on-site structures reportedly began in late June at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport, an abandoned airfield within the federally protected Florida Everglades, according to the Washington Post.

The decision, issued on Thursday, August 21, requires officials to remove temporary fencing once detention population attrition allows safe implementation, restoring the site to the tribe’s prior level of access. Authorities must also remove lighting fixtures, generators, gas, sewage systems, and other waste infrastructure installed to support the facility.

In her 82-page ruling, Judge Kathleen Williams barred authorities from bringing additional detainees to the site but allowed modifications or repairs to existing facilities strictly for safety or environmental mitigation purposes.

The plaintiffs argued that the project, which is under significant federal oversight, created substantial environmental impact. NEPA required environmental reviews before construction, which were never conducted. The judge agreed with this assessment.

“Although it apparently lacks basic forethought in many ways, the facility has undergone substantial construction and is currently operational. Indeed, as Plaintiffs allege, the State and Federal Defendants coordinated to ‘construct a mass migrant detention and deportation center’ and have completed ‘the installation of housing units, construction of sanitation and food services systems, industrial high-intensity lighting infrastructure, [and] diesel power generators,'” Williams wrote.

“Prior to such construction, however, the Defendants were required, under NEPA, to issue an [environmental impact statement] or conduct an [environmental assessment]. The Defendants chose not to do so,” she added.

The scale of the facility is significant. “The Court reviewed plans and photos showing that operation of the camp, to date, has involved paving approximately 800,000 square feet of land, installation of industrial lighting impacting the night sky at least 20 to 30 miles away, and enough residential infrastructure to house thousands of detainees and on-site staff,” Williams wrote.

She also challenged the claim that the project was purely a state action. “The project was requested by the federal government; built with a promise of full federal funding; constructed in compliance with ICE standards; staffed by deputized ICE Task Force Officers acting under color of federal authority and at the direction and supervision of ICE officials; and exists for the sole purpose of detaining and deporting those subject to federal immigration enforcement,” she wrote.

“Detainees are brought onto the site by federal agents and deported from the site by federal agents on federally owned aircraft. In concluding the camp is a major federal action, the Court will ‘adhere to the time-tested adage: if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, and looks like a duck, then it’s a duck,'” Williams continued.

The ruling highlighted several environmental concerns. “Plaintiffs identify a myriad of risks from the project to the wetlands and endangered species whose habitats include the area around the site. Plaintiffs also proved that runoff and wastewater discharge from the camp risks polluting the water supply in the Miccosukee Reserved Area—where eighty percent of Tribe members reside—just a few miles downstream from the TNT site, and beyond.”

Williams also cited ongoing disruptions to tribal and organizational members’ use of preserved areas due to industrial lighting, noise, traffic, and the security perimeter. The court noted that light pollution from the camp obstructs views of the night sky in Miami-Dade and negatively impacts the habitat of the endangered Florida bonneted bat. The lighting also reduces panther habitat by approximately 2,000 acres, as studies suggest panthers avoid large artificial light sources.

Ultimately, the court found that the project causes irreparable harm through habitat loss and increased mortality for endangered species in the region.

Kevin Guthrie, Executive Director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management and a defendant in the suit, has announced he will appeal the ruling.