Particle.news

Download on the App Store

Florida’s Alligator Alcatraz Faces Lawsuits Over Conditions and Environmental Harm

A coalition of environmental groups with tribal plaintiffs has sued to halt the camp’s rapid build on sensitive Everglades sites following reports of maggot-infested meals.

President President Donald Trump, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem (R) tour a migrant detention center, dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz,” located at the site of the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport in Ochopee, Florida, on July 1, 2025.
President Donald Trump tours a immigration jail, dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz," located at the site of the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport in Ochopee, Florida, on July 1, 2025.

Overview

  • Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity argue the facility violates the National Environmental Policy Act and threatens protected wetlands, endangered species and tribal sacred lands.
  • Federal and state attorneys contend the project falls outside preconstruction environmental review requirements because DHS did not directly authorize or fund the camp.
  • Detainees report being served maggot-riddled food once daily, denied access to bathing water and left under constant lighting amid swarms of oversized insects in makeshift tents.
  • Former Bureau of Prisons director Hugh Hurwitz warned that the absence of inmate medical histories, chronic staffing shortages and the facility’s expedited construction pose serious safety and health risks.
  • Built in eight days under emergency powers with FEMA funding, the camp opened July 1 with 3,000 beds and plans to expand to 5,000 as part of the administration’s mass-deportation directive.