Overview

• U.S. District Judge Rodolfo Ruiz II held a hearing on August 18 over a preliminary injunction that would guarantee confidential access to counsel for migrants at the tented Everglades facility dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz.”
• Plaintiffs allege staff have restricted or non-private legal communications, pressured detainees into signing voluntary removal orders and deported some without counsel, while state and federal officials point to videoconferencing and in-person visits provided since mid-July.
• Ruiz expressed skepticism about venue and jurisdiction, noting the site sits in Collier County but operates under an ICE agreement tied to Miami, and deferred immediate rulings on which federal court can hear bond and release petitions.
• Meanwhile, U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams has paused further construction at the Everglades site under a 14-day order to review potential violations of environmental laws such as NEPA and the Endangered Species Act.
• Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has announced a new detention center nicknamed “Deportation Depot” at the Baker Correctional Institution, projected to hold around 1,300 migrants as the Everglades expansion remains constrained by litigation.