Judge Orders Closure of 'Alligator Alcatraz,' Governor DeSantis Disagrees?

Liputan6.com, Jakarta An immigrant detention center nicknamed "Alligator Alcatraz," officially known as the South Florida Detention Facility, has been ordered to close.

The order was issued by a federal judge in Miami on August 21, 2025, after the facility had been operating for only a short time.

The closure order represents a significant victory for environmental groups and the Miccosukee Tribe, who have long raised concerns.

"Alligator Alcatraz" gained public attention due to its rapid construction in the middle of the Florida Everglades, a fragile and sensitive ecosystem.

The facility was erected in approximately eight days in June 2025, using an emergency immigration order issued by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

Its location on the former Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport, without adequate procurement or environmental review, sparked a wave of protests.

The judge's ruling ordering the facility to close within 60 days and banning the transfer of new prisoners is expected to resolve long-contested issues and restore the area's environmental integrity.

"Alligator Alcatraz" is the nickname given to the South Florida Detention Facility, a hastily constructed immigration detention facility in Florida.

The name refers to the local alligator population in the Everglades and the infamous Alcatraz federal prison.

Construction of the facility was rushed in about eight days in June 2025, on the site of the former Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis used a 2023 immigration emergency order to seize the county-owned airfield and expedite construction.

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier even publicly announced the detention center in a video on June 19, 2025, calling it "Alligator Alcatraz," sparking public debate.

On July 1, 2025, President Donald Trump and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem joined DeSantis for the facility's grand opening, with Trump praising it as "probably as good as the original Alcatraz."

However, since the first group of immigrants arrived on July 3, 2025, the facility has quickly become a flashpoint for controversy.

Conditions inside the facility are reportedly inhumane, including extreme heat, insects, lack of food, and non-functioning toilet facilities.

Many detainees reportedly have no criminal records, contradicting claims that the facility would house the "worst of the worst."

On August 21, 2025, "Alligator Alcatraz" was finally ordered to close by a federal judge in Miami. U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams issued a preliminary injunction effectively halting the expansion and beginning the closure process for the facility.

This ruling was a major victory for environmental groups and the Miccosukee Tribe, who had filed suit arguing that the facility violated federal law and was built on sacred land.

Judge Williams stated that state and federal authorities violated numerous environmental laws in their rush to build the facility on fragile wetlands.

The failure to conduct the environmental review required by federal law, the judge argued, adversely affected the "recreational, conservation, and aesthetic interests" of the environmental groups and the Miccosukee Tribe who sued.

The Trump and DeSantis administrations were prohibited from sending new detainees to the facility.

In addition, Florida was given 60 days to begin removing generators, fuel, waste, and other equipment that transformed the remote airstrip into a detention center.

Within two months, many temporary structures such as fencing, lighting, generators, and waste/disposal infrastructure must be removed from the site.

The judge also ordered that there be no further increase in the number of inmates currently held there, estimated at approximately 700 at the time of the ruling.

This order ensures that the facility will be gradually vacated and dismantled, reducing its negative impact on the environment and surrounding communities.

🚨 BREAKING: Governor Ron DeSantis just announced the deportations WILL CONTINUE at Alligator Alcatraz after an activist judge ordered they start shutting the facility down."We're not gonna be deterred. We're totally in the right on this.""We are gonna be opening ANOTHER… pic.twitter.com/kVwx4YrnQn

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) August 22, 2025

A federal judge's decision to close "Alligator Alcatraz" immediately sparked a backlash from the Florida state government.

The state quickly appealed the judge's ruling on Thursday evening, August 21, 2025.

Governor Ron DeSantis expressed his disapproval of the decision, asserting that he would not be deterred by an "activist judge" and would "respond accordingly."

In response to the ruling, DeSantis also announced plans to convert an old prison in North Florida into another immigrant detention facility called "Deportation Depot."

This new facility, proposed to house up to 2,000 detainees, demonstrates the Florida government's commitment to continuing its immigrant detention policy despite legal challenges.

This move indicates that the debate surrounding immigration policy in Florida will continue.Regarding the status of detainees at "Alligator Alcatraz," hundreds had already been transferred to other immigration facilities prior to the judge's ruling.

As of Thursday, August 21, 2025, it was reported that fewer than 400 detainees remained at the detention camp.

The state has the option of transferring the remaining detainees to the Krome Detention Center in West Miami, an existing immigrant detention facility.

Meanwhile, immigrant advocates and activists celebrated the federal court's decision to dismantle the "Alligator Alcatraz."

These groups stated that they will continue to push for the facility's permanent closure and condemned plans for a new detention center.