In the heart of the Florida Everglades, a controversial immigration detention center known as "Alligator Alcatraz" has become the latest flashpoint in the state’s ongoing and heated debate over immigration policy, environmental protection, and federal versus state authority. As of early September 2025, the future of the facility—and the broader network of detention centers in Florida—remains uncertain, tangled in legal battles and political posturing that have drawn national attention.
According to a court filing made on September 2, 2025, Florida officials indicated their intention to resume accepting immigrants at the Alligator Alcatraz facility if the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals grants a stay on a judge’s order that required the state to wind down operations. The order, issued last month by U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams, mandated a halt to new detainee admissions and called for the removal of temporary fencing, lighting, and generators within 60 days. This preliminary injunction followed a lawsuit filed in June by Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity, later joined by the Miccosukee Tribe, alleging violations of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
The legal drama reached a new pitch after an Associated Press report revealed that, according to an email from Florida’s Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie, the facility could be down to zero detainees within days. The uncertainty over the facility’s status has only intensified as both state and federal officials appealed to the Atlanta-based 11th Circuit, seeking to pause the injunction while the underlying legal issues are reviewed.
Governor Ron DeSantis, a vocal proponent of the facility, has made it clear that he views the legal challenges as temporary setbacks. During a news conference on September 2, DeSantis stated, “We’re actually in the process of ... figuring out how we can set up a Panhandle Pokey, and we’re going to have that in the Panhandle. So, the mission continues.” He further criticized Judge Williams as “very partisan” and expressed confidence that his administration would ultimately prevail in court, as reported by Newsweek.
Alligator Alcatraz, situated at the repurposed Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport in Ochopee, Florida, was constructed in the summer of 2025 with the explicit goal of supporting federal immigration enforcement efforts. The facility quickly became a centerpiece of former President Donald Trump’s second-term immigration platform, with both Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem touting it as a symbol of a hard-line stance on border security. State officials, including DeSantis, have argued that the work being done at the facility is reimbursable by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), highlighting the complex web of state-federal cooperation and funding.
The facility, however, has not been without its critics. Democrats, civil rights groups, and environmentalists have all raised concerns about the conditions inside Alligator Alcatraz, describing them as unsafe, unsanitary, and inhumane. They also argue that the center violates environmental laws, particularly given its location surrounded by the Big Cypress National Preserve. The lawsuit spearheaded by Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity contends that state and federal officials failed to properly evaluate the environmental impact of the facility, as required by NEPA.
The state, for its part, has pushed back hard against these allegations. In its motion for a stay, state attorneys argued that NEPA does not apply because the facility was built and is operated by the state, not the federal government. “The state controls the land on which the detention facility sits,” their motion stated. They further claimed that while the state accepts immigration detainees under 287(g) agreements with the federal government, it retains discretion over admissions and that federal reimbursement is only a possibility, not a certainty.
Attorneys for the environmental groups, however, dismissed these arguments as “myopic,” insisting that the facility was built specifically “to house individuals detained by and for ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) for alleged violations of federal immigration laws.” They added, “Florida cannot legally operate an immigration detention center without federal approval, necessarily making this federal action subject to NEPA.”
Political tensions have only sharpened as the legal battle drags on. Byron Donalds, a Republican U.S. representative and gubernatorial candidate, took to social media to decry what he called “judicial overreach from a low-level judge that MUST BE STOPPED,” referencing Judge Williams’s order. On the other side, Democratic state representative Anna Eskamani highlighted public records showing federal interest in partnering with Florida to open detention facilities, including discussions of “partial reimbursement.” According to her, these communications were central to the federal trial’s arguments.
Meanwhile, the state is not standing still. Plans are underway to open a new detention center at Baker Correctional Institution, a previously shuttered prison in Baker County, and DeSantis has floated the possibility of another facility in Northwest Florida. During his news conference, DeSantis also mentioned a planned "Deportation Depot" near Lake City and suggested that “there’s a demand to have way more than just Alligator Alcatraz.”
The legal future of Alligator Alcatraz remains murky. Judge Williams last week refused to stay her own order, leaving the facility in limbo while the appeals court deliberates. The state’s joint status report filed on September 2 also referenced a separate lawsuit alleging that detainees at the Everglades facility were denied access to legal representation and private meetings with attorneys, a case that is still pending in federal court in Fort Myers.
For now, the fate of Alligator Alcatraz—and the broader question of how Florida handles immigration enforcement—hangs in the balance. The next moves will depend on the courts, the willingness of federal agencies to continue partnerships, and the political determination of state leaders to expand their network of detention centers despite fierce opposition.
As the legal and political battles continue, Florida’s approach to immigration remains at the center of national debates over law, environment, and the rights of detainees. The coming weeks promise further twists in a saga that has already become a defining issue for the state and its leaders.
