'Alligator Alcatraz' Immigration Detention Center Will Remain Open, Federal Appeals Court Rules

A federal appeals court has overturned a legal order requiring Florida and the administration of President Donald Trump to shut down the immigration detention facility known as 'Alligator Alcatraz'. The ruling allows the facility to remain open as a significant multi-state lawsuit continues.

In a 2-1 decision, the appellate court in Atlanta granted a request from Florida officials and the Department of Homeland Security to block an earlier injunction from a district court. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis expressed satisfaction with the ruling, stating, Alligator Alcatraz is in fact, like we've always said, open for business.

Previously, U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams ordered a halt to the facility's expansion and called for its dismantling within a designated timeframe. Environmentalists and a Native American tribe had argued for a federal review under environmental law before any alterations could be made to the site.

However, the Court of Appeals indicated that there is a likelihood that state and federal claims would succeed in demonstrating that the facility was not subject to the National Environmental Policy Act, as it had yet to receive federal funding. The majority opinion on the court was penned by judges appointed under Trump's administration, with one dissenting opinion from a judge appointed by Obama.

In reaction to the appellate ruling, the Department of Homeland Security deemed the decision a triumph for rule of law, asserting that the litigation's focus was never on environmental implications, but rather on a push against measures for enforcing immigration laws. DeSantis echoed these sentiments, labeling the previous judicial orders as leftist overreach.

Environmental advocacy groups, including the Center for Biological Diversity, criticized the decision, calling it a significant setback for both the Everglades ecosystem and broader environmental policy enforcement. The Miccosukee Tribe has not yet publicly commented but is known to be involved in the ongoing litigation regarding the facility's operation.