Appeals Court Blocks Judge’s Order to Dismantle ‘Alligator Alcatraz’

The court found that the closing of the illegal immigrant detention facility was against the public interest and would cause irreparable harm to the state.

The entrance to the state-managed immigration detention center dubbed Alligator Alcatraz, located at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport in the Florida Everglades in Ochopee, Fla., on Aug. 3, 2025. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Florida’s efforts against illegal immigration scored a victory on Sept. 4 as an appeals court blocked a federal judge’s order to dismantle the state’s detention and deportation facility known as “Alligator Alcatraz.”

“Victory secured against activist judge who held me in contempt,” Florida’s Attorney General James Uthmeier said on X. “The 11th Circuit not only blocked Judge [Kathleen] Williams’ order to close Alligator Alcatraz, but they blocked her from proceeding with the case until the appeal is complete.