Federal judge denies request to close Florida’s ‘Alligator Alcatraz’

A federal judge has denied a request to shut down a controversial immigration detention facility in the Florida Everglades, widely known as “Alligator Alcatraz,” ruling that the detainee seeking its closure failed to demonstrate he was suffering irreparable harm while detained there.

In his decision Thursday, U.S. District Judge Kyle Dudek, a Trump nominee, stated that while there “may indeed be deficiencies” at the facility, the plaintiff, identified only as M.A. in court documents, had not met the high threshold required for such extraordinary preliminary relief while the case proceeds through litigation in federal court in Fort Myers.

“While there may indeed be deficiencies at Alligator Alcatraz that ultimately justify its dissolution, plaintiff has not made the extraordinary showing needed to justify immediate relief of such magnitude,” Judge Dudek wrote in his ruling.

The judge emphasized he was proceeding cautiously since the request essentially asked the court “to close a sizable and expensive detention facility, all before any decision on the merits of its legality.”

This lawsuit is one of three federal legal challenges targeting the detention center, which was constructed this summer at a remote airstrip in the Florida Everglades under the administration of Republican Governor Ron DeSantis. The facility has drawn intense scrutiny since its inception.

M.A.’s lawsuit argues that immigration enforcement falls exclusively under federal jurisdiction, and that Florida state agencies and their contracted private operators have no legal authority to run such a facility under federal law. The lawsuit further alleges that detainees who enter the facility effectively disappear from standard detainee tracking systems and struggle to access legal representation.

“The statute requires federal control over all delegated enforcement activities. Yet Florida asserts that it has total control over detention decisions,” the plaintiff stated in the request for a preliminary injunction.

The controversial detention center has faced multiple legal challenges beyond M.A.’s case. In a separate lawsuit last summer, a federal judge in Miami had ordered the facility to phase out operations over a two-month period, citing officials’ failure to conduct an environmental impact review. However, an appellate court panel subsequently put that decision on hold, allowing “Alligator Alcatraz” to continue operating pending further proceedings.

A third lawsuit focuses on detainees’ access to legal counsel. This case alleges significant barriers to attorney-client communications, including requirements that attorneys schedule visits three days in advance—unlike other detention facilities where lawyers can visit during regular hours without prior arrangements. The lawsuit also claims detainees are frequently transferred to other facilities after attorney visits are scheduled, and that lengthy scheduling delays prevent detainees from meeting with legal counsel before critical deadlines.

Earlier this week, a federal judge ordered attorneys for the detainees and government defendants to meet in an attempt to resolve the third case. However, despite nine hours of negotiations on Tuesday, the parties informed the court Wednesday that they had failed to reach any resolution.

The facility’s remote location in the Everglades has been a particular point of criticism, with advocates arguing that the isolation creates additional barriers to legal representation and family contact. Critics have also raised concerns about detention conditions and the broader implications of state involvement in what has traditionally been federal immigration enforcement.

The DeSantis administration has defended the facility as part of Florida’s broader efforts to address immigration issues, despite federal government assertions that immigration enforcement remains under federal jurisdiction.

As these cases continue through the courts, “Alligator Alcatraz” remains in operation, highlighting the ongoing tension between state and federal authorities over immigration enforcement responsibilities and the constitutional rights of immigration detainees.