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Tag: Alligator Alcatraz

  • Judge denies Democrats’ lawsuit over ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ access



    Credit: Shutterstock

    A Leon County circuit judge has rejected a lawsuit filed by five Democratic lawmakers who sought access to the immigrant-detention center dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz,” saying laws about access to state prisons and local jails do not apply to the Everglades facility.

    Judge Jonathan Sjostrom on Friday sided with Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration in the lawsuit filed after lawmakers made an unannounced visit to the detention center in July but were denied access. The Democrats contended in the lawsuit the denial violated laws allowing access by legislators to correctional institutions.

    Sjostrom, in a five-page ruling, wrote that the laws allow access to facilities such as state prisons and county jails — but not to the immigrant-detention center run by the state.

    “The (immigrant detention) facility does not meet the statutory definition of a state correctional institution because no prisoner is housed in the facility under the jurisdiction of the Florida Department of Corrections,” Sjostrom wrote. “Likewise, the facility does not meet the statutory definition of a county or municipal detention facility because there is no allegation that the (immigrant detention) facility is operated by any county or municipal government or related entity.”

    The state drew national attention when it opened the facility last year at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport as DeSantis and other Florida Republican leaders sought to assist President Donald Trump’s mass deportation of undocumented immigrants. The facility, which is surrounded by the Everglades and Big Cypress National Preserve, also has led to separate legal battles in federal court. The airport had long been used for flight training.

    Sen. Shevrin Jones, D-Miami Gardens, Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith, D-Orlando, Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, Rep. Angie Nixon, D-Jacksonville, and Rep. Michele Rayner, D-St. Petersburg, went to the center on July 3 “to inspect the state detention facility, evaluate the use of taxpayer funds and assess safety pursuant to Florida statutory guidelines,” the lawsuit said.

    “The petitioners (the lawmakers) attempted to arrive unannounced so that they could observe the unadulterated conditions of the facility,” the lawsuit said. “The unannounced inspection of the facility falls squarely within the petitioners’ purview and oversight duties as state officers and members of the Florida Legislature.”

    After they were turned away, the lawmakers filed the case at the Florida Supreme Court on July 10 seeking what is known as a “writ of quo warranto” directing DeSantis and state Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie to allow lawmakers unannounced access to the facility. The Supreme Court, without offering an opinion about the lawmakers’ arguments, sent the case to circuit court.

    Amid the controversy, state lawmakers and members of Congress were allowed to visit the facility, though Democrats said the visit was tightly controlled and left unanswered questions.

    In a November response to the lawsuit, attorneys for DeSantis and Guthrie wrote that the laws cited by the Democrats “do not entitle them as individual legislators to enter Alligator Alcatraz at their pleasure.”

    “The facility is not a ‘state correctional institution’ because it is not a ‘prison’ or ‘other correctional facility,’” the response said, partially quoting one law. “‘Prisons’ and ‘correctional facilities’ describe facilities that are part of the criminal justice system. … Instead, Alligator Alcatraz is a short-term civil detention facility in which illegal aliens are held under the authority of the federal government and processed for deportation.”

    In addition to citing the laws about legislators having access to correctional facilities, the lawsuit also raised constitutional separation-of-powers arguments.

    “The denial of the petitioners’ access to the ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ detention facility was an unconstitutional executive overreach because it prevented the duly elected members of the Florida Legislature from exercising their powers,” the lawsuit said. “The petitioners’ denial of entry and access restricted the Legislature’s independence as a co-equal branch of government.”

    But in the November response, the DeSantis administration attorneys said the state Constitution gives the Legislature oversight authority and a law authorizes legislative committees to carry out investigations. But the administration attorneys said individual lawmakers don’t have such powers.

    “Far from the governor or FDEM (the Division of Emergency Management) usurping the authority of another branch of government, it is petitioners who attempt to usurp the authority of the Legislature and its committees by taking matters into their own hands,” the response said.

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    Orlando’s Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith and Rep. Anna Eskamani are among five Democratic lawmakers who were denied access to the center in July

    DeSantis stayed quiet in the first days following the operation — even though Florida boasts the largest Venezuelan community in the nation

    The ruling on assisted reproduction methods raises a new complication for couples seeking to have kids with outside help





    Jim Saunders, News Service of Florida
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  • Trump vetoes Miccosukee flood protection, citing tribe’s opposition to ‘Alligator Alcatraz’



    Credit: Dave Decker

    The Miccosukee Tribe’s lawsuit contesting an immigration detention facility in the Everglades cost them federally funded flood protection, at least if President Donald Trump gets his way. 

    President Donald Trump on Tuesday vetoed HR 504, federal legislation intended to provide flood protection to Osceola Camp, a Miccosukee residential area in the Everglades. In his veto letter, the president blamed the tribe for having “actively sought to obstruct reasonable immigration policies that the American people decisively voted for when I was elected.”

    “My Administration is committed to preventing American taxpayers from funding projects for special interests, especially those that are unaligned with my Administration’s policy of removing violent criminal illegal aliens from the country,” Trump wrote. 

    The tribe is part of a lawsuit against the state, claiming planners behind the immigration detention facility, also dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz,” failed to follow federal environmental regulations in constructing the 3,000-bed facility. 

    Rep. Carlos Gimenez, a Republican from Miami, sponsored the bill, the Miccosukee Reserved Area Amendments Act, passed by both chambers of Congress via voice votes. 

    The bill called upon the Secretary of the Interior and the tribe “to take appropriate actions to safeguard structures within the Osceola Camp from flooding events.”

    The Osceola Camp in the Everglades is a residential area for the Miccosukee tribe but not part of the federally reserved area for the tribe.

    The bill, introduced nearly a year ago, four days before Trump’s second term began, also would’ve expanded the Miccosukee Reserved Area to include the Osceola Camp.

    Gimenez’s office said the bill would help with “strengthening the Tribe’s governance and enhancing infrastructure within the community.”

    “This bipartisan legislation ensures that the Miccosukee tribe has the legal authority to manage, protect, and preserve their land, and continue their traditional way of life,” Gimenez said on the House floor in July, going on to say the bill “is about fairness and conservation.”

    Attorney General James Uthmeier, a Republican appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis and key promoter of the detention facility, welcomed Trump’s veto. 

    “Ending the massive cost of taxpayer handouts and restoring fiscal sanity is vital to economic growth and the fiscal health of the Nation. This principle carries especially heavy weight here; it is not the Federal Government’s responsibility to pay to fix problems in an area that the Tribe has never been authorized to occupy,” Trump wrote. 

    The bill does not have a Congressional Budget Office cost estimate.

    At the same time, Trump announced he had vetoed HR 131, Finish the Arkansas Valley Conduit Act. That measure, sponsored by Rep. Lauren Boebert, a Colorado Republican, addressed federal support for a water pipeline in Colorado.

    Colorado Newsline, a Phoenix affiliate, reported:

    “Trump’s veto, the first of his second term, was roundly criticized by Colorado Democrats as another act of retaliation against the state for its ongoing incarceration of former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters, who was convicted on state charges related to breaking into the county’s voting machines to prove unfounded claims of widespread election fraud in 2020.

    “The veto followed the administration’s announcement earlier this month that it would dismantle Boulder’s National Center for Atmospheric Research, and its denial of two disaster declaration requests that would have opened up federal funding to support wildfire and flood recovery in the state.”

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    Fifty-two black bears were “harvested” during the 2025 Florida black bear hunt, the first of its kind in a decade, FWC announced this week.

    He blamed the tribe for having “actively sought to obstruct reasonable immigration policies that the American people decisively voted for when I was elected.”

    According to Travel and Tour World magazine, Miami, Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, Tampa and the Florida Keys are among the top national destinations.





    Jay Waagmeester, Florida Phoenix
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  • ‘Dragging its feet’: ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ appeal paused due to government shutdown



    Credit: Photo by Dave Decker

    Environmental groups’ request that a federal court shutter the “Alligator Alcatraz” detention center was paused Wednesday because of the government shutdown.

    Led by the non-profit Friends of the Everglades, a coalition of activists had asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit to reconsider its September decision to keep open the migrant detention center, located in the heart of the Everglades, despite environmental concerns.

    But the court on Wednesday agreed with the Department of Homeland Security that the case should be paused until government attorneys can work again.

    “The motion to stay the appeal is granted. The movant is directed to file a notice with the court when the purpose for the stay is obviated,” the two-sentence order reads.

    Although this comes just weeks after the court expedited the appeal and scheduled oral arguments for January, the federal government’s shutdown on Sept. 30 set off a cascade of missed pay, furloughed workers, and in-limbo cases.

    So, on Oct. 10, government attorneys, noting that many Justice Department lawyers are banned from working until the government comes online again, asked for a pause on the case until “DOJ attorneys are permitted to resume their usual civil litigation functions.”

    How did we get here?

    The state created the sprawling, 3,000-bed facility atop the seldom-used Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport in Big Cypress National Park, drawing scrutiny from Democrats, immigration groups, and environmental organizations since its July 1 opening.

    Friends of the Everglades, the Center for Biodiversity, and the Miccosukee Tribe filed suit over the summer alleging the detention center violates federal environmental laws. A district judge agreed, ordering Florida to shut down the center by September’s end. But a federal three-judge panel on Sept. 4 reversed, noting that because the site had not received federal dollars, and was entirely state-run, federal environmental regulations don’t apply.

    A week later, DHS and Florida Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie revealed that Florida had applied for federal reimbursement — though Friends of the Everglades believes the request was made earlier. On Sept. 30, the state received more than $608 million to pay for the construction, transportation, and equipment costs of the facility

    The plaintiffs soon after appealed, asking the Eleventh Circuit to reconsider. When DHS pointed out that some government staff couldn’t work during the shutdown, Friends of the Everglades called the situation “regrettable” but argued it didn’t outweigh the environment “harms” caused by dragging out the case.

    “An indefinite stay in this case … would cause Plaintiffs ongoing and irreversible harm where the federal action being challenged — the construction and operation of an immigration detention center in the Everglades that imperils sensitive wetlands, endangered Species, and communities in the area — would continue during the indefinite stay period,” the attorneys wrote.

    When the Eleventh Circuit released its order against them, Eve Samples, executive director of the Friends of the Everglades, put out a statement calling the move a ruse to avoid accountability.

    “There’s a growing mountain of evidence that Alligator Alcatraz was built in violation of the National Environmental Policy Act,” Samples said. “Meanwhile, the government is dragging its feet in court to dodge accountability — using the federal shutdown as an excuse to delay the appeal.

    “We’re more resolved than ever to keep fighting to restore the lower court’s injunction to protect the Everglades.”

    Florida Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Contact Michael Moline for questions: info@floridaphoenix.com. Follow Florida Phoenix on Facebook and Twitter.

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    The court agreed with the Department of Homeland Security that the case should be paused until government attorneys can work again.

    ‘We must call it what it truly is: the documentation of the sexual abuse of children’

    The judge issued a stay of the lawsuit until after the Supreme Court decides whether a law prohibiting drug users having guns violates the Second Amendment.





    Livia Caputo, Florida Phoenix
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  • Appellate court pauses Alligator Alcatraz lawsuit because of government shutdown

    Aerial view of structures at the recently opened migrant detention center, “Alligator Alcatraz,” located at the site of the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport in Ochopee, Florida on Friday July 04, 2025.

    Aerial view of structures at the recently opened migrant detention center, “Alligator Alcatraz,” located at the site of the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport in Ochopee, Florida on Friday July 04, 2025.


    Pedro Portal

    pportal@miamiherald.com

    Twenty-two days into the federal government shutdown, an appellate court has granted the Department of Justice’s request to pause a lawsuit over the environmental impact of the Florida Everglades’ makeshift immigration detention center, Alligator Alcatraz.

    In a two-sentence order on Wednesday, the Atlanta-based Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals granted a motion by federal government lawyers requesting that the appellate court pause proceedings in a case that halted a lower court decision shuttering operations at the controversial facility.

    The federal lawyers in their motion stated that the shutdown prevented them from working.

    “The motion to stay the appeal is GRANTED. The movant is DIRECTED to promptly file a notice with the Court when the purpose for the stay is obviated,” the appellate court decision stated without any further explanation.

    As Democrats and Republicans argue over provisions to reopen the federal government, the impending halt to federal food subsidies and the layoffs of federal workers are not the only disruptions— the shutdown has also created another obstacle in ongoing lawsuits against the facility’s operations.

    Last week, lawyers for the federal government told the court that “Department of Justice attorneys are prohibited from working” because of the lack of appropriations from Congress. The environmental groups Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity argued against the request, alleging that more harm would be done to the surrounding areas of the Everglades if the case were to be stalled.

    The conservation groups on Wednesday issued a statement, saying, “The government is dodging accountability.” The appellate court decision “means the Trump administration and the state of Florida can continue polluting, destroying and degrading the sensitive ecosystems and endangered wildlife in Big Cypress National Preserve.”

    “The Trump administration is trying to disable every lever of justice so it can keep breaking the law, hurting both people and the places we love most in the process,” said Elise Bennett, Florida and Caribbean director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “Unfortunately for Trump and his sycophants we’re not going away — we’ll be here when they’re ready to face us in court over this major threat to our beautiful Everglades.”

    The conservation groups sued the federal and state governments in June, accusing them of failing to follow federal environmental rules during the construction of the temporary tent detention center in the Big Cypress National Preserve. The Miccosukee Tribe later joined the lawsuit. They received a victory from the district court, which issued a preliminary injunction stopping new construction at the detention site – ordering it to shut down operations within 60 days.

    The victory was short-lived. In a 2-1 preliminary decision in September, the appellate judges granted the state’s request to pause the lower courts’ decision while they argued for an appeal. In their majority opinion, the judges agreed with the federal and state governments’ argument that the National Environmental Policy Act, which requires environmental impact assessments for large federal projects, does not apply to states.

    That decision put the case on hold in Judge Kathleen Williams’ Florida Southern District Court till the appellate judges had reviewed arguments on the merits of an appeal from the state and federal governments.

    Wednesday’s decision now leaves the appellate court case in limbo, linking the fate of Alligator Alcatraz to the ongoing saga of restarting federal government operations. However, since the site is mostly state-run, the DeSantis administration can still proceed with business as usual.

    The conservation groups and faith leaders have been holding a prayer vigil for detainees every Sunday outside the facility. This Sunday, they plan to demonstrate against the appellate court’s decision at the facility’s gates.

    Churchill Ndonwie

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  • Florida gets $608M grant for immigrant detention centers – Orlando Weekly



    Credit: Photo by Dave Decker

    Florida officials received a hefty lump sum of cash from the federal government Tuesday to cover the cost of the Everglades immigration detention center dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz.”

    As reported first by WPLG, the Department of Homeland Security revealed two days after the fact that Florida had been awarded the full $608.4 million stockpile of funds within the Detention Support Grant Program, a new program housed under the Federal Emergency Management Agency designed to compensate states for detaining undocumented immigrants.

    Florida was the only applicant for the grant program, FEMA told the Florida Phoenix last month. That money will foot the construction, housing, feeding, and equipment costs spent on the Everglades center — on which the state has already spent at least $245 million — and the “Deportation Depot” facility in Baker County.

    Gov. Ron DeSantis announced in August that Florida may build a “Panhandle Pokey” in northwest Florida, which the grant would also cover.

    “Another bogus narrative bites the dust. I said all along that we would be reimbursed,” DeSantis posted on social media Thursday, hours after the news broke.

    Although the governor had vowed for months that the federal government, not state taxpayers, would pay the bill, neither he nor his office could confirm to the Florida Phoenix as of Tuesday whether the state had been reimbursed.

    FEMA had not responded to a request for comment at the time.

    What is the Detention Support Grant Program?

    The Detention Support Grant Program is an initiative by President Donald Trump’s administration to encourage states to assist with federal immigration efforts. It’s part of FEMA’s Shelter and Services Program, partially used by President Joe Biden to set up short-term shelters for migrants released by Border Patrol.

    Florida officials applied for federal reimbursement in mid-September, just days after a three-judge panel tossed a lawsuit to shut down the Everglades center over environmental concerns. Of note, the court nixed the case on the theory that the center was not subject the federal environmental laws because it had not received any federal dollars.

    More money for Florida’s anti-illegal immigration efforts first began to pour in last week. ICE announced last Friday that Florida’s state and local law enforcement would receive $38 million for equipment and transportation involved in detaining non-citizens.

    On Tuesday, the first $14 million of a $250 million state grant was awarded to law enforcement by the State Board of Immigration Enforcement, a new task force headed by DeSantis and the Cabinet.

    The reimbursement for the detention centers came on the final day for FEMA to award the DSGP grant. A day later, the federal government shut down — and is still inoperative — meaning FEMA will not process further grant requests until the government comes back online.

    Florida Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Contact Michael Moline for questions: info@floridaphoenix.com. Follow Florida Phoenix on Facebook and Twitter.

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    The home has seven bedrooms, 10 bathrooms, more than 9,000 square feet of living space and 101 feet of Intracoastal water frontage

    Funds will be spent on ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ — which the state has already spent at least $245M on — and ‘Deportation Depot’

    The top student debaters in the state will hoist a trophy named for the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk





    Livia Caputo, Florida Phoenix
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  • Florida vows ‘vigilance’ at detention centers after Dallas ICE facility shooting – Orlando Weekly



    Credit: Photo by Dave Decker

    The Florida governor’s office is vowing continued vigilance at the state’s detention centers hours after a now-deceased shooter killed two detainees and injured another at a Dallas ICE facility Wednesday morning.

    “Florida will continue to be vigilant in ensuring safety and security at our detention facilities,” Molly Best, Gov. Ron DeSantis’ press secretary, told the Florida Phoenix in a statement.

    “Alligator Alcatraz” and “Deportation Depot” are Florida’s two main migrant detention centers working in conjunction with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. They were mostly constructed by the Florida Division of Emergency Management at the direction of top leaders, and together can hold over 5,000 people. Specific security details at the facilities were not provided by the state due to cited security risks.

    FDEM did not respond to a request for comment.

    According to the Department of Homeland Security, a gunman attacked an ICE Dallas field office Wednesday morning, firing “indiscriminately” at both the building and a van near the entrance. This is where three detainees were shot, killing two and putting the third in critical condition.

    The gunman then committed suicide, DHS continued.

    “We can confirm, the shell casings were found with anti-ICE messages on them. This was an attack on ICE law enforcement,” the statement posted on social media says. “This horrific attack occurred amidst the 1000% increase in assaults against @ICEgov.

    “Politicians and media pundits must stop the vile lies and smears designed to demonize and dehumanize ICE law enforcement. This shooting must serve as a wake-up call to the far-left that their rhetoric about ICE has consequences,” the agency added.

    The Dallas attack came a month after an individual was arrested for threatening Dallas ICE officers with an alleged “detonator” on his wrist.

    “Alligator Alcatraz,” located deep within the Everglades and Big Cypress National Preserve, was the nation’s first major ICE facility constructed after Donald Trump assumed the presidency. Trump joined DeSantis and other top federal and state officials on July 1 to celebrate the center’s opening.

    Since then, Florida has opened “Deportation Depot” in Baker County and has floated the “Panhandle Pokey” in northwest Florida. Florida also has four other, smaller, state-run centers.

    Florida Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Contact Michael Moline for questions: info@floridaphoenix.com. Follow Florida Phoenix on Facebook and Twitter.

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    ‘For decades, the Attorney General’s Office has functioned to prop up the powerful and corrupt’

    ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ and ‘Deportation Depot’ are Florida’s two main detention centers working in conjunction with ICE

    ‘So, you know, not all the studies find that, but some of the studies do,’ Florida Surgeon General Ladapo said





    Livia Caputo, Florida Phoenix
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  • Florida’s ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ now wants federal money



    Credit: Photo by Dave Decker

    A federal appeals court last week ordered the “Alligator Alcatraz” detention center to remain open partially because it lacked federal ties. A week later, Florida formally applied for federal funds.

    The state’s request for reimbursement for its spending on the migrant detention facility in the heart of the Everglades came just days after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit hit pause on a federal judge’s order shutting down the center over environmental concerns. The 2-1 vote claimed that federal environmental laws don’t apply because Florida officials haven’t used any federal money.

    But less than eight days after the ruling — which stayed all aspects of the case — the Florida Division of Emergency Management asked the Federal Emergency Management Agency to be reimbursed, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told the Florida Phoenix in an email.

    “The State of Florida submitted an application for reimbursement to [FEMA],” the spokesperson said. Although they didn’t comment on what day the application was made nor for how much money, this confirmed Politico’s reporting that FDEM’s executive director, Kevin Guthrie, said the state had applied for federal money.

    Gov. Ron DeSantis has long promised that Florida would be reimbursed for its detention center spending, although neither his office nor FDEM ever clarified when they planned to ask for the money. Federal authorities similarly lauded the facility as a joint effort, but showed no signs of chipping in until last week.

    “Under President Trump’s leadership, we are working at turbo speed on cost-effective and innovative ways to deliver on the American people’s mandate for mass deportations of criminal illegal aliens,” the DHS official said. “These new facilities are in large part to be funded by FEMA’s Shelter and Services Program.”

    The Shelter and Services program allocated $608.4 million toward FEMA’s new Detention Support Grant Program, specifically designed to expedite Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s mass detention and deportation agenda. If FEMA approves Florida’s request, the money will be awarded by Sep. 30. The Everglades facility is estimated to cost around $450 million for the year.

    The attorney general’s office redirected questions to FDEM, which did not respond to questions about the application’s timeline.

    ‘So what do you say, judges?’

    In a 2-1 decision on Sep. 4, the Eleventh Circuit both paused federal trial judge Kathleen Williams’ order to shut down the facility and fully stayed the case. The lawsuit was brought against the state by the Miccosukee Tribe and environmental groups Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biodiversity.

    They claimed the center, located within the Everglades and Big Cypress National Preserve, was harming the environment and violating the National Environmental Policy Act.

    But judges Barbara Lagoa and Elizabeth Branch, both Trump appointees, ruled that Williams had erred by applying the federal law to a center that had exclusively received state funds. Florida hadn’t even applied for federal reimbursement, they argued. The activists have since asked the appeals court to reconsider their decision to halt the lawsuit.

    If the judges don’t, Miami attorney Joseph DeMaria said the plaintiffs would be stymied unless they can “un-stay” the case — even though the majority opinion was largely predicated on the lack of federal ties.

    “Unless they can get the case unstuck, there’s nothing they can do,” said DeMaria, who once worked as a prosecutor with the Justice Department’s Miami Organized Crime Strike Force. [The state] played it cute by saying, ‘We haven’t formally agreed yet, so federal law doesn’t apply.’”

    He posed a rhetorical question to the appellate judges on the case: “You said that the feds haven’t agreed to pay, so there’s no jurisdiction to enforce the federal environmental law, but then almost immediately after you said that, they went and agreed to pay. So what do you say, judges?”

    Attorneys for the Friends of the Everglades declined to comment, while the governor’s office, the Miccosukee Tribe, and the Center for Biodiversity did not respond to requests for comment.

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    A federal appeals court last week ordered the center to remain open partially because it lacked federal ties

    Video footage shows a man kicking a person on the ground at the site of the formerly rainbow-colored crosswalk.

    Uthmeier said the court’s ruling was effective ‘now,’ but his spokesman said there was a 15-day window





    Livia Caputo, Florida Phoenix
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  • Florida opens ‘Deportation Depot’ detention center



    Fresh off a court victory ordering the “Alligator Alcatraz” migrant detention center to remain open, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Thursday that Baker County’s “Deportation Depot” is in operation.

    “Deportation Depot,” a DeSantis-coined moniker, occupies the old Baker County Correctional Facility north of Gainesville. The center can hold up to 2,000 people and opened Tuesday, the governor’s office confirmed to The Florida Phoenix.

    It’s “receiving” migrants as of Friday.

    “We’re not only doing Alligator Alcatraz, we’ve now opened the Deportation Depot up in Northeast Florida, and we’re working on opening a Panhandle Pokey in northwest Florida,” DeSantis said Thursday night on FOX News.

    The announcement came hours after a federal appeals court sided with DeSantis by pausing a lower judge’s order that would have dismantled the Everglades facility and blocked it from receiving more migrants by September’s end.

    The 2-to-1 decision by the Atlanta-based court was a massive victory for DeSantis and top GOP leaders, who had touted the first-in-the-nation center as a powerful buttress in President Donald Trump’s sweeping anti-undocumented immigration agenda.

    DeSantis first announced plans for “Deportation Depot” in mid-August, a month and half after the Everglades facility hosted Trump and other top federal authorities for a grand opening event.

    The new center’s opening comes weeks after The Associated Press first reported that Alligator Alcatraz, located firmly within the Everglades and Big Cypress National Preserve, was nearly empty. Molly Best, a spokesperson for the governor, said that added migrant facilities in different Florida regions facilitates quicker deportations.

    The “Panhandle Pokey” is a third center planned by the state government in western Florida. DeSantis has yet to select a location or timeframe for it’s opening.

    “You know, you’re in the Panhandle sending to Alligator Alcatraz, that’s a long way. Even sending to the Deportation Depot in North Florida, that could be three to five hours depending on where you are in the Panhandle,” DeSantis said at a press conference earlier this week.

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    ‘There’s a demand to have way more than just Alligator Alcatraz,’ he said

    Judge Williams ordered that no more immigrant detainees be sent to the facility and gave both the state and federal government 60 days to move out existing detainees

    The state’s attorneys argued that the National Environmental Policy Act does not apply to the facility





    Livia Caputo, Florida Phoenix
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  • US seeks to deport Kilmar Abrego Garcia to Uganda after he refuses plea offer

    Immigration officials said they intend to deport Kilmar Abrego Garcia to Uganda, after he declined an offer to be deported to Costa Rica in exchange for remaining in jail and pleading guilty to human smuggling charges, according to a Saturday court filing.The Costa Rica offer came late Thursday, after it was clear that the Salvadoran national would likely be released from a Tennessee jail the following day. Abrego Garcia declined to extend his stay in jail and was released on Friday to await trial in Maryland with his family. Later that day, the Department of Homeland Security notified his attorneys that he would be deported to Uganda and should report to immigration authorities on Monday.His attorneys declined to comment on whether the plea offer had been formally rescinded. The brief they filed only said that Abrego Garcia had declined one part of the offer — to remain in jail — and that his attorneys would “communicate the government’s proposal to Mr. Abrego.”Abrego Garcia’s case became a flashpoint in President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda after he was mistakenly deported in March. Facing a court order, the Trump administration brought him back to the U.S. in June, only to detain him on human smuggling charges.He has pleaded not guilty and has asked the judge to dismiss the case, claiming that it is an attempt to punish him for challenging his deportation to El Salvador. The Saturday filing came as a supplement to that motion to dismiss, stating that the threat to deport him to Uganda is more proof that the prosecution is vindictive.“The government immediately responded to Mr. Abrego’s release with outrage,” the filing reads. “Despite having requested and received assurances from the government of Costa Rica that Mr. Abrego would be accepted there, within minutes of his release from pretrial custody, an ICE representative informed Mr. Abrego’s counsel that the government intended to deport Mr. Abrego to Uganda and ordered him to report to ICE’s Baltimore Field Office Monday morning.”Although Abrego Garcia was deemed eligible for pretrial release, he had remained in jail at the request of his attorneys, who feared the Republican administration could try to immediately deport him again if he were freed. Those fears were somewhat allayed by a recent ruling in a separate case in Maryland, which requires immigration officials to allow Abrego Garcia time to mount a defense.

    NASHVILLE, Tenn. —

    Immigration officials said they intend to deport Kilmar Abrego Garcia to Uganda, after he declined an offer to be deported to Costa Rica in exchange for remaining in jail and pleading guilty to human smuggling charges, according to a Saturday court filing.

    The Costa Rica offer came late Thursday, after it was clear that the Salvadoran national would likely be released from a Tennessee jail the following day. Abrego Garcia declined to extend his stay in jail and was released on Friday to await trial in Maryland with his family. Later that day, the Department of Homeland Security notified his attorneys that he would be deported to Uganda and should report to immigration authorities on Monday.

    His attorneys declined to comment on whether the plea offer had been formally rescinded. The brief they filed only said that Abrego Garcia had declined one part of the offer — to remain in jail — and that his attorneys would “communicate the government’s proposal to Mr. Abrego.”

    Abrego Garcia’s case became a flashpoint in President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda after he was mistakenly deported in March. Facing a court order, the Trump administration brought him back to the U.S. in June, only to detain him on human smuggling charges.

    He has pleaded not guilty and has asked the judge to dismiss the case, claiming that it is an attempt to punish him for challenging his deportation to El Salvador. The Saturday filing came as a supplement to that motion to dismiss, stating that the threat to deport him to Uganda is more proof that the prosecution is vindictive.

    “The government immediately responded to Mr. Abrego’s release with outrage,” the filing reads. “Despite having requested and received assurances from the government of Costa Rica that Mr. Abrego would be accepted there, within minutes of his release from pretrial custody, an ICE representative informed Mr. Abrego’s counsel that the government intended to deport Mr. Abrego to Uganda and ordered him to report to ICE’s Baltimore Field Office Monday morning.”

    Although Abrego Garcia was deemed eligible for pretrial release, he had remained in jail at the request of his attorneys, who feared the Republican administration could try to immediately deport him again if he were freed. Those fears were somewhat allayed by a recent ruling in a separate case in Maryland, which requires immigration officials to allow Abrego Garcia time to mount a defense.

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  • Kilmar Abrego Garcia could be sent to Uganda, DHS official says

    Kilmar Abrego Garcia is the man who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador earlier this year. He was released from pre-trial detention on Friday, and a senior Department of Homeland Security official said he could be deported to Uganda. CBS News immigration and politics reporter Camilo Montoya-Galvez has the details.

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  • Desantis vows to continue work on Alligator Alcatraz despite ruling ordering a halt

    The aftershock of U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams’ is sending waves through the environmental and political realms as the future of Alligator Alcatraz, at this point, is unsure.

    But less than a day after the ruling halting operations, Gov. Ron DeSantis said the state will not be deterred.

    “We had a judge try to upset the apple cart with respect to our deportation and detainee center in south Florida at Alligator Alcatraz,” Desantis said at a news conference in Panama City on Aug. 22. “This is not something that was not expected. This was a judge that was not going to give us a fair shake.”

    Williams put in place a temporary injunction that says DeSantis and President Donald Trump should pack up all the trucks, bunks, tarps, fences and people and vacate the property.

    DeSantis response was no surprise to the opposition.

    “This is a win for the environment,” said Betty Osecola, an influential member of the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida. “And though the preliminary injunction was issued, we still need to take a stand to continue this fight because we know very well the state and the federal government are going to continue in their efforts in appealing this decision.”

    The Miccosukee reservation is just a few miles from the Alligator Alcatraz site, which was formly a flight training center operated by Miami-Dade County.

    To make matters more complicated, the facility is actually in Collier County, where commissioners have vowed to stay out of this divisive matter.

    Stars can be seen over the Everglades on Wednesday, July 30, 2025. Photographed from Burns Lake Campground looking east towards Alligator Alcatraz and the east coast of Florida. The Big Cypress Wildlife Management Area is considered a dark skies designated location. Some are concerned about the construction of Alligator Alcatraz, saying that it is causing light pollution.

    Alligator Alcatraz is a controversial immigration detention center at the enterface of the Big Cypress National Preserve and Everglades National Park.

    Construction started in June, after Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced the detention center on social media.

    More: Judge tells Trump admin to pack up Alligator Alcatraz, leave the Everglades, Big Cypress

    The center wasn’t the idea of a planning staff, a review committee or even the Department of Homeland Security.

    And Alligator Alcatraz didn’t go through the typical review process as DeSantis declared a state of emergency to avoid staff review and public comment periods.

    “You have people that are in the country that have already been ordered to be removed by the system,” DeSantis said. “And the previous administration didn’t want to do anything.”

    Earlier Aug. 22, Alex Lanfranconi, the governor’s communications director, released a statement: “The deportations will continue until morale improves.”

    The ruling stems from a June 27 lawsuit filed by Friends of the Everglades, the Center for Biological Diversity, and joined by the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida. The defendants in the case include the Florida Division of Emergency Management, the Department of Homeland Security, ICE, and Miami-Dade County.

    “So, let’s celebrate this win today, but let’s stay determined for that fight for the long haul,” Osceola said.

    DeSantis remained committed to the plan.

    “We’re in the position of leading the state efforts to help the Trump administration remove these illegal aliens not just from Florida but from our country,” he said.

    The other Alligator Alcatraz lawsuit

    In another case focusing on plaintiffs legal and civil rights, U.S. District Judge Rodolfo Ruiz ruled Aug. 18 the matter should move to a different court while also declaring part of the lawsuit moot.

    At the heart of the case was whether the government had violated detainees’ rights to due process and legal counsel. Civil rights attorneys had said the remote Everglades facility made it nearly impossible for immigrants to speak confidentially with lawyers or even find out which immigration court can hear their cases.

    The plaintiffs’ attorneys filed suit in the Southern District of Florida, which includes Miami-Dade County, though state and federal officials argued that it should have been filed in the Middle District of Florida, which includes Collier County.

    More: Alligator Alcatraz starting to take shape on the edge of sacred ceremony grounds

    In his 47-page order, Ruiz agreed, transferring the case to the middle district. He also dismissed the immigration-court allegations in the lawsuit, saying they were moot after a federal decision that judges at Krome North Processing Service Center would handle the detainees’ cases.

    The case now heads to “a sister court in the Middle District of Florida to reach the merits of plaintiffs’ remaining claims under the First Amendment,” Ruiz wrote.

    DeSantis said the most recent ruling won’t affect operations.

    “This is not going to deter us. “We’re going to continue the deportations and this mission,” he said.

    Breaking News and Visuals Editor Stacey Henson contributed to this report.

    This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Alligator Alcatraz will continue operations says Florida governor

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  • Judge blocks Trump administration from expanding Florida’s “Alligator Alcatraz” over environmental concerns

    A federal judge on Thursday ordered an indefinite halt to new construction at an immigration detention facility that Florida officials have dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz,” and barred any new detainees from being brought to the site, siding with environmental groups who said the facility is endangering the Everglades and its wildlife.

    The decision is a setback for Florida’s Republican-led state government and its aggressive efforts to aid the Trump administration’s hardline immigration agenda, including by deputizing thousands of state police as federal immigration officers.

    The order by U.S. District Court Judge Kathleen Williams did not require Florida officials to completely cease operations at Alligator Alcatraz, allowing the state to continue using existing structures there to detain immigrants suspected of being in the U.S. illegally. But Williams barred any more detainees from being transferred to the site — dashing plans to expand the detention center.

    The ruling says state and federal authorities cannot add any new tents to the site or carry out any paving or excavating, though they can repair existing facilities for safety purposes. 

    It also directs them to remove temporary fencing, light fixtures and generators from the site within 60 days. Housing facilities can remain in place, the judge said.

    Williams wrote that, for decades, “every Florida governor, every Florida senator, and countless local and national political figures, including presidents, have publicly pledged their unequivocal support for the restoration, conservation, and protection of the Everglades. This Order does nothing more than uphold the basic requirements of legislation designed to fulfill those promises.”

    The makeshift detention facility — located in what was largely an abandoned airfield — is one of several locations and prisons that Republican-led states have offered the Trump administration so they can be converted into immigration detention centers. Officials in Indiana and Nebraska have also allowed facilities in their states to hold immigrants facing deportation.

    Thursday’s ruling stems from a lawsuit filed by the Miccosukee tribe and environmental activists who challenged operations at Alligator Alcatraz on environmental grounds. The Everglades are an ecologically sensitive area that’s home to endangered species, and many Floridians rely on the Everglades as a source of drinking water. 

    The plaintiffs argued that environmental reviews mandated in federal law should have been completed before the site was set up. 

    Florida officials have argued Alligator Alcatraz is not subject to those federal environmental requirements because the facility is run by the state. The Trump administration has said it will reimburse Florida for the effort using federal funds. 

    Williams had paused further construction at Alligator Alcatraz earlier this month, but only for two weeks.

    A separate lawsuit over the legal rights of those held at the Everglades facility is also playing out. 

    That case was partially dismissed by the U.S. District Court Judge Rodolfo Ruiz earlier this week, since the Trump administration had designated an immigration court to hear the claims of those detained at Alligator Alcatraz, one of the main concerns raised by the lawsuit. But Ruiz allowed another part of the case centered on detainees’ right to in-person and confidential legal consultations to proceed, transferring the lawsuit to another federal judge.

    Camilo Montoya-Galvez

    Camilo Montoya-Galvez is the immigration reporter at CBS News. Based in Washington, he covers immigration policy and politics.

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