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3h ago

Lawsuit and Leaks Deepen Scrutiny of Florida’s Everglades Detention Camp

The facility’s emergency construction left migrants without confidential legal communication under a sweeping executive order.

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Photo composite illustration of cages and aerial views of "Alligator Alcatraz", mosquitoes, a toilet and an engraving of swampland
Workers install a sign reading "Alligator Alcatraz" at the entrance to a new migrant detention facility at Dade-Collier Training and Transition facility, Thursday, July 3, 2025, in Ochopee, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Work progressed on a new migrant detention facility dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz," at Dade-Collier Training and Transition facility in the Florida Everglades, Friday, July 4, 2025, in Ochopee, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Overview

  • A class-action suit filed July 16 by the ACLU and Americans for Immigrant Justice alleges detainees at Alligator Alcatraz are blocked from confidential attorney access and unable to contest their immigration detention.
  • Emails obtained by The Associated Press reveal Florida invoked a 2023 executive order to seize the Dade-Collier airstrip and erect the camp in days, bypassing local zoning and environmental reviews as conservation groups and the Miccosukee Tribe filed lawsuits.
  • Investigations show roughly $20 million in disaster-preparedness funds was redirected to build the camp through contracts awarded to political allies and that those contract records briefly vanished from public databases.
  • Officials disclosed that a 15-year-old Mexican national was held at the remote Everglades site despite assurances only adults would be detained, fueling renewed criticism of camp operations.
  • Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed discussions with several Republican governors about replicating the tented detention model as DHS seeks to expand migrant detention capacity.