Last Updated on 1 week by Ashley Michael
Miami District Judge Kathleen Williams issued a preliminary injunction Thursday ordering Florida to begin dismantling portions of the Alligator Alcatraz immigration detention facility within 60 days.
The ruling prohibits state and federal officials from bringing new detainees to the Everglades facility and blocks any further expansion. Williams ordered the removal of generators, gas systems, sewage equipment and waste receptacles within the 60-day timeframe.
The facility can remain operational with current detainees but no additional people may be brought to the site. The judge also banned installation of new industrial lighting and other infrastructure expansions.
Environmental groups and the Miccosukee Tribe filed the lawsuit arguing the facility violated the National Environmental Policy Act by bypassing required environmental impact studies. The detention center was built rapidly over recent months on a former airstrip.
Williams noted in her 82-page ruling that new lighting reduced Florida panther habitat by 2,000 acres. The facility also blocked tribal access to traditional hunting and ceremonial plant harvesting areas.
The Alligator Alcatraz facility houses detainees in tent structures with chain-link fencing and can hold up to 3,000 people. President Trump toured the site last month and promoted it as a model for other states.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis filed a notice of appeal Thursday night following the ruling. A spokesperson said the decision would not impact immigration enforcement operations at the facility.
The judge said state officials failed to explain why the detention center needed to be located in the environmentally sensitive Everglades region. She gave authorities time to conduct proper environmental assessments.
Detainees at the facility have reported poor conditions including maggot-infested food, broken toilets and insect infestations. The site operates on portable generators with water trucked in daily.
The ruling represents a setback for the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement efforts as officials had planned to use the facility as a template for similar detention centers nationwide.