OAN Staff Blake Wolf
2:49 PM – Thursday, August 7, 2025
A federal judge has ordered a halt to the construction of the “Alligator Alcatraz” immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades due to environmental concerns.
On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams ruled that the facility can continue operations and hold detainees. However, the continued construction of the facility is temporarily barred for the next two weeks.
The ruling followed an eight-hour meeting in which five witnesses were called by the environmental groups who issued a lawsuit over the detention facility. The environmental groups and the Miccosukee Tribe asked Williams to halt operations and further construction at the facility, arguing that it’s built on environmentally protected wetlands and reverses billions in environmental restoration.
The plaintiffs argued that the detention center was illegally built due to federal and state officials bypassing a review process legally required by the National Environmental Policy Act.
“This is a very common-sense law that requires the government to look before it leaps, to analyze the environmental impacts, to do an environmental impact study, to take public comment, to consider alternatives, and none of that was done at so-called ‘Alligator Alcatraz,’” stated Eve Samples, the executive director of Friends of the Everglades.
Additional environmental witnesses are expected to testify on Thursday, followed by testimony from Florida and Department of Homeland Security officials next Tuesday.
Williams went on to note that anything built at the site would likely remain permanently, regardless of the decision of the case.
During the hearing, Williams asked Florida attorney Jesse Panuccio if the state would halt all construction on the site to avoid the need for a restraining order; however, Panuccio stated that he couldn’t guarantee that the state would halt all work.
Panuccio went on to argue that the detention center was fully constructed and operated by the state of Florida, bypassing the need for a National Environmental Policy Act review.
Paul Schwiep, an attorney for the environmental groups, countered Panuccio’s point by noting that the facility operates exclusively under the federal function of immigration enforcement, which is why the environmental review is ultimately required.
Williams stated that at a minimum, the facility was a joint partnership between the federal and state governments.
Additionally, a hearing for a second lawsuit brought by civil rights activists is scheduled for August 18th, arguing that the constitutional rights of the detainees are being violated as they are being held without formal charges and are barred from meeting with lawyers.
The suits come as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) was reportedly planning on building a second immigration detention center at a National Guard training center in north Florida.
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