MIAMI, FL — A federal judge in Miami has ordered the closure of the Trump administration’s controversial immigration detention facility known as “Alligator Alcatraz,” citing both humanitarian and environmental concerns.
In a ruling issued late Thursday, U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams directed that the facility cease operations within 60 days and barred the transfer of any new detainees during the wind-down period. The decision expands on an earlier restraining order she issued halting construction at the site.
The remote tented compound, built hastily in late June on a disused airfield in the Florida Everglades, has faced widespread criticism over reports of harsh conditions, inadequate due process for detainees, and significant environmental damage. Judge Williams, in her 82-page decision, concluded that the camp was causing “severe and irreparable harm” to the fragile wetlands and further threatening protected species in the national preserve.
She noted that even decades earlier, proposals to develop the same site into a major tourist airport were rejected because of the ecological risks. “Every Florida governor, every senator, and countless political figures have pledged support for the restoration and protection of the Everglades,” Williams wrote. “This order upholds the basic requirements of legislation designed to fulfill those promises.”
The facility currently houses an estimated 700 detainees, down from a peak of 1,400. After the 60-day deadline, all fencing, generators, and detention infrastructure must be dismantled and removed.
The ruling marks a major victory for environmental groups and a Native American tribe that brought the lawsuit against state and federal authorities. “This is a landmark victory for the Everglades and for Americans who believe this wilderness should be protected, not exploited,” said Eve Samples, executive director of Friends of the Everglades.
The Trump administration had promoted the camp as a holding center for “the most vicious people on the planet,” though many detainees had no criminal record. The closure represents a setback to the administration’s immigration enforcement agenda.
Neither the Florida Department of Emergency Management, which operates the site for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), nor the Department of Homeland Security immediately commented. State attorneys indicated they plan to appeal.
Meanwhile, reports from the Miami Herald suggest that hundreds of detainees were transferred from the camp to other facilities ahead of the ruling, anticipating the court’s decision. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has already announced plans to open another immigration detention center at a shuttered prison near Gainesville to offset the loss of capacity.
By the Midtown Times Staff, reporting adapted from The Guardian
