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Judge Set to Rule on 'Alligator Alcatraz' as Rep. Frost Condemns Conditions

The decision follows a lawsuit by Friends of the Everglades with the Miccosukee Tribe that prompted a temporary pause on new construction.

FILE - President Donald Trump tours "Alligator Alcatraz," a new migrant detention facility at Dade-Collier Training and Transition facility, on July 1, 2025, in Ochopee, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
An aerial view shows "Alligator Alcatraz" ICE detention center at Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport in Ochopee, Florida, U.S. July 24, 2025. REUTERS/Marco Bello/File Photo
FILE - Work progresses on a new migrant detention facility dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz," at Dade-Collier Training and Transition facility in the Florida Everglades, on July 4, 2025, in Ochopee, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File)
Aerial view of structures, including gigantic tents built at the recently opened migrant detention center,“ Alligator Alcatraz,” located at the site of the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport in Ochopee, Florida, on Friday, July 4, 2025. (Pedro Portal/Miami Herald/TNS)

Overview

  • U.S. District Court is expected to issue a Thursday ruling on a preliminary injunction that could further limit operations at the Everglades detention site.
  • Friends of the Everglades and the Miccosukee Tribe challenged the project’s expansion after rapid buildout, leading to a two‑week halt on new construction.
  • Witnesses described roughly 20 acres of new asphalt inside Big Cypress National Preserve and raised concerns about impacts on Florida panthers.
  • Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost toured the site and called it an internment camp, citing reports of crowded cages, tents, heat exposure and medical delays.
  • State officials say the facility 45 miles west of Miami meets required standards, while Frost reported a current population of about 336 detainees.