DeSantis Welcomes Appeals Court Decision on Immigration Detention Facility

On Thursday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced that a recent ruling by an appeals court has overturned a previous decision made by an Obama-appointed judge, allowing the facility known as “Alligator Alcatraz” to operate once again.

This ruling blocked orders issued by US District Judge Kathleen Williams on August 7, which had temporarily halted the construction of the detention center due to environmental concerns. DeSantis celebrated the court’s decision as a victory over a “left” judge whose actions he claims were aimed at hampering Florida’s immigration enforcement.

“The mission to enforce immigration laws continues. There was a lot of media chatter suggesting that Alcatraz was ‘closed.’ That wasn’t the case—we had illegal immigrants there, and they left for their home countries,” DeSantis stated. He criticized the narrative driven by the judge’s ruling, which suggested Florida hadn’t provided an environmental impact statement and thus shouldn’t use the property for what he deemed an essential mission.

Williams’s initial ruling had resulted in the transfer of detained immigrants to other facilities and imposed an indefinite suspension on further construction, preventing new detainees from being held at the site.

The 11th Circuit Court upheld the state of Florida’s stance and the Department of Homeland Security’s position, temporarily staying Williams’s ruling. A judge noted that, “After careful consideration, we acknowledge the defendant’s claims and will maintain the preliminary injunction while the appeal is active.”

Alligator Alcatraz, located at a repurposed airfield in the Florida Everglades, is believed to be highly secure, making escape nearly impossible. The idea for this detention facility arose from Republican Attorney General James Usmieyer in June and quickly received backing from the Trump administration.