Appeals court halts order requiring Alligator Alcatraz dismantling
An appeals court issued a Thursday order halting the dismantling of Alligator Alcatraz, the Trump administration’s migrant detention site based in the Florida Everglades.
In a 2-1 ruling, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit overturned a lower court’s order that deemed the site a threat to the environment.
Judge Barbara Lagoa and Judge Elizabeth Branch, both Trump appointees, issued the majority ruling while Judge Adalberto Jordan, an Obama nominee, dissented.
“Specifically, we think the district court erred in finding that the defense of improper venue was waived by the Defendants’ failure to argue it in their initial responses to the motion for a temporary restraining order,” the majority opinion read.
Lagoa and Branch also determined that the government would suffer irreparable harm if Alligator Alcatraz were permanently shut down.
“The Federal Defendants have established that the district court’s injunction will inevitably compromise DHS’s ability to keep criminal aliens detained, protect the law-abiding public, enforce immigration laws, and maintain border security. We think that is enough to show irreparable harm,” the two wrote.
The Trump administration swiftly celebrated the order.
“HUGE VICTORY FOR ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ. Today’s order is a win for the American people, the rule of law and common sense. This lawsuit was never about the environmental impacts of turning a developed airport into a detention facility,” the Department of Homeland Security wrote in a statement on X.
“It has and will always be about open-borders activists and judges trying to keep law enforcement from removing dangerous criminal aliens from our communities, full stop,” they added.
While they lauded the judges for overturning a previous order, others decried the decision and said the fight was far from over.
“The case is far from over. In fact, it’s just starting, and we’re committed to fighting on. The court entered a limited stay order. While disappointing, we never expected ultimate success to be easy. We’re hopeful the preliminary injunction will be affirmed when it’s reviewed on its merits during the appeal,” said Eve Samples, executive director of Friends of the Everglades.
“In the meantime, if the [Florida Gov.] DeSantis and Trump administrations choose to ramp operations back up at the detention center, they will just be throwing good money after bad because this ill-considered facility — which is causing harm to the Everglades — will ultimately be shut down.”
State officials began removing items from the Alligator Alcatraz facility after U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams, an appointee of former President Obama, ordered its closure.
However, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) pledged to push back on shuttering the facility funded by over $250 million in state dollars.
After Thursday’s ruling, officials in the Sunshine State are now looking to reopen Alligator Alcatraz to hold detainees awaiting removal or other immigration proceedings.