Federal Judge Bars New Detainees, Construction at ‘Alligator Alcatraz’

The judge also ordered that some other aspects of the facility be dismantled as current detainees are moved elsewhere.
Federal Judge Bars New Detainees, Construction at ‘Alligator Alcatraz’
"Alligator Alcatraz" ICE detention center at Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport in Ochopee, Fla., on July 24, 2025. Marco Bello/Reuters
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A federal judge on Aug. 21 ordered President Donald Trump and the state of Florida to stop sending detainees to “Alligator Alcatraz,” a detention center for illegal immigrants in the Everglades, and barred new construction there.

U.S. Judge Kathleen Williams, a lower court judge in the District Court for the Southern District of Florida, sided with environmental groups who had brought suit against the facility, saying that it endangers the Everglades and its wildlife.