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2w ago

Appeals Court Lets 'Alligator Alcatraz' Stay Open During Environmental Lawsuit

The ruling turns on the panel’s view that Florida controls and funds the Everglades site.

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The entrance of "Alligator Alcatraz" ICE detention center in the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport in Ochopee, Florida, U.S. August 3, 2025. REUTERS/Eva Marie Uzcategui/File Photo
A police officer urges Art Sennholtz, 80, center, and Christy Howard, 70, of Just Us Volusia to be careful of fast-moving traffic as they hold protest signs outside the entrance to an immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades known as "Alligator Alcatraz," Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025, in Collier County, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
People take pictures in front of a sign reading "Alligator Alcatraz" as passerby, some opposed, some in support, visit the entrance to an immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades, Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025, in Collier County, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Overview

  • A divided 11th Circuit panel voted 2–1 to stay U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams’ injunction, allowing operations and construction at the Everglades detention site to continue during the appeal.
  • Judges Barbara Lagoa and Elizabeth Branch formed the majority, finding plaintiffs were unlikely to show a federal action under NEPA, while Judge Adalberto Jordan dissented.
  • The stay halts Williams’ ordered wind‑down that barred new detainees and required removal of fencing, lighting and generators within 60 days.
  • The majority cited a lack of evidence of federal funding and said the public interest favors continued operation; DHS and Gov. Ron DeSantis praised the decision as a victory.
  • A separate lawsuit over detainee access to counsel held its first hearing in Fort Myers after a venue transfer, with claims about private attorney meetings still unresolved.