A FEDERAL JUDGE ORDERS THE DISMANTLING OF THE "ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ" DETENTION CENTER IN FLORIDA WITHING 60 DAYS.

 

Judge Kathleen Williams issued a landmark ruling limiting operations at the controversial immigration detention center known as *Alligator Alcatraz*, built in the Florida Everglades. In her 82-page decision, the judge determined that the facility could continue operating temporarily, but she prohibited new construction and ordered the removal of generators, chemical waste, and other infrastructure associated with the project within two months.

The ruling partially responded to a lawsuit filed by environmental organizations—Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity—along with the Miccosukee Tribe, who claimed the center severely harms the Everglades ecosystem and violates the rights of indigenous communities.

A brake on expansion

The ruling follows a temporary suspension issued weeks ago, when the judge decided to halt the construction to assess whether it violated environmental protection laws. The final order now establishes that no more industrial lighting systems may be installed, nor may any new facilities be paved, excavated, or built.

The judge emphasized that, although the center is operational and houses hundreds of migrants, its nature is temporary and should be gradually dismantled.

Celebration of environmental groups and native communities

The plaintiffs hailed the decision as "a significant victory for Florida's wildlife and fragile ecosystems." According to their joint statement, the closure protects endangered species, water sources, and the natural integrity of the Everglades.

The Miccosukee Tribe also welcomed the ruling. Its chairman, Talbert Cypress, stated that the community will continue to defend its ancestral lands in Big Cypress against projects that jeopardize its cultural and spiritual heritage.

Documented environmental risks

Experts cited in the case noted that the construction had already affected at least 20 acres of wetlands. They alleged that the paving could generate polluting runoff, disrupt vegetation, and threaten iconic species such as the Florida panther and the wood stork.

Tribal members warned that nutrients and waste from the center could directly affect their lands, compromising fishing, hunting, and wildlife mobility in the region.

Context and political controversy

The center, built in just two months next to a former airport, was designed to house up to 3,000 detainees in tent structures. State officials defended its creation as a measure to alleviate overcrowding in federal and local facilities.

However, critics argue that its construction was rushed, lacking proper environmental assessment, and that it was used as a political symbol of a hardline approach against immigration.

Judge Williams made it clear that, as this is a project involving both the state of Florida and the federal government, it cannot be exempt from the scrutiny of national environmental protection laws.

What follows

With this decision, *Alligator Alcatraz* must begin an orderly closure process within 60 days. Meanwhile, human rights and environmental organizations are demanding a review of the conditions in which migrants are being held, who have reported risks to their health and safety within the facility.

The ruling represents a blow to the use of fragile lands as space for detention centers and a reminder that immigration policy cannot be implemented at the expense of nature or of Indigenous communities that have been defending their lands for generations.