Federal Judge Orders Closure of Migrant Detention Camp in the Everglades

Alligator Alcatraz began as a rumor whispered at the end of June, a detention facility built in only eight days on wetlands west of Miami without public consultation or environmental review, its rapid appearance stirring disbelief until environmental groups brought the matter to federal court. On Thursday night, the uncertainty ended when Judge Kathleen Williams ruled that the controversial migrant prison must cease operations within sixty days.

A Federal Ruling in Defense of Protected Land

The judge determined that the detention center violated the law because it was erected inside the Big Cypress National Preserve, an area designated as both a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and a World Heritage Site, and a place the Miccosukee people consider sacred. She stated that the preserve had been created to protect this land, and that political leaders in Florida for decades had pledged to support the restoration and conservation of the Everglades. The ruling prohibits the expansion of the center and the arrival of additional detainees while also mandating that temporary fences, lighting, generators, and waste systems be removed within two months. Although the basic structures may remain, the order in practice demands dismantling.

The lawsuit filed by Friends of the Everglades, Earthjustice, and the Center for Biological Diversity against the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the state of Florida, and Miami-Dade County argued that the facility caused irreparable harm to the ecosystem and violated federal laws that require impact studies before such projects. The Miccosukee joined the case, stressing that their communities live less than twenty kilometers from the center and that the Everglades form their ancestral territory. Court records included maps identifying dozens of sacred or significant sites throughout the wetlands.

Environmentalists and Tribal Leaders React

The ruling was greeted with celebration among environmental groups and the Miccosukee, who described it as a decisive step in the defense of their homeland. Leaders of Friends of the Everglades said the decision represented a victory for those who believe the threatened wilderness must be protected. The Miccosukee stated that they will continue fighting to ensure the government respects environmental review requirements on public lands and declared that they will always defend their culture, their sovereignty, and the Everglades.

For the tribe, the detention center threatened years of restoration work supported by federal funds, as the Everglades remain a delicate mosaic of marshes, mangroves, and grasslands carrying water from Lake Okeechobee to Florida Bay. This subtropical ecosystem stores freshwater, reduces flooding, and softens droughts, but decades of agriculture and urban expansion have compromised its flow. Officials in Washington have spent millions of dollars attempting to restore it, and the tribe warned that the facility undermined that commitment.

Origins of Alligator Alcatraz and State Ambitions

The detention camp was constructed with tents, portable toilets, and FEMA trailers on the grounds of the old Dade-Collier Airport. It was designed to hold up to 5,000 people and opened in July. Soon after, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis confirmed that deportations had already begun. He described the center as a complete operation that could expel detainees quickly thanks to the long airstrip still present from an abandoned plan in the 1960s to build the largest airport in the region, a project stopped after battles with local environmentalists.

Conditions inside the facility quickly drew criticism. Reports from detainees described inadequate food and hygiene, along with claims that authorities pressured them to accept deportation. Lawyers representing immigrants argued that detainees were being denied access to the justice system because the center’s location fell outside the jurisdiction of Miami courts.

A Facility in the Everglades Is Now Facing Its End

The Department of Homeland Security called the lawsuits unfounded, but Judge Williams’s order leaves little room for continuation. The decision forces the removal of temporary infrastructure and stops further expansion, signaling that the “experiment” known as Alligator Alcatraz is nearing its end.