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Judge Denies Bid to Shut Florida’s ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ Detention Center

The ruling leaves the Everglades site operating during ongoing challenges to its authority.

Overview

  • U.S. District Judge Kyle Dudek ruled that detainee M.A. did not show the irreparable harm required for a preliminary injunction to close the facility.
  • Dudek wrote that closure would be an extraordinary step and that any cited deficiencies did not meet the standard for immediate relief.
  • A separate Miami order to wind down the site over a missing environmental review remains paused after an appellate panel’s stay.
  • In a different case over attorney access, court‑ordered settlement talks failed after nine hours, with plaintiffs citing delayed, nonconfidential visits and transfers.
  • The state‑run facility opened this summer at a remote Everglades airstrip under Gov. Ron DeSantis, with federal involvement through DHS transfers and a reported $608 million reimbursement.