Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis scored a major legal and political win this week as the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals cleared the way for “Alligator Alcatraz” — the state’s controversial new detention facility for illegal immigrants — to continue operating.
The decision overturned an earlier ruling by Obama-appointed Judge Kathleen Williams, who had attempted to halt the project over environmental concerns.
DeSantis wasted no time celebrating the news. “The mission continues on immigration enforcement,” he declared Thursday. “The media was giddy that somehow Alligator Alcatraz was ‘shutting down.’ … But they ran with the narrative because some leftist judge ruled implausibly that somehow Florida wasn’t allowed to use our own property to help the federal government in this important mission because they didn’t do an environmental impact statement. Well, we said we would fight that … and I’m pleased to say the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals has just stayed that ruling. So Alligator Alcatraz is, in fact, like we always said, open for business.”
The mission continues at Alligator Alcatraz.
The media was wrong.
The leftist judge has been overturned.
Florida will keep leading the way. pic.twitter.com/Ik2fJnqXIP
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) September 4, 2025
The appellate court’s order was unequivocal: “After careful consideration, we grant the defendants’ motions and we stay the preliminary injunction and the underlying case itself pending appeal.” That ruling not only reverses Judge Williams’ stop order but also freezes the lawsuit itself until the appeal is resolved — effectively putting Florida back in the driver’s seat.
Williams had initially barred construction at the site and prohibited new detainees from being housed there, citing environmental impact concerns in the Everglades. Detainees already at the facility had been transferred elsewhere. With the appeals court’s decision, the state can now resume full operations.
“Alligator Alcatraz,” located on a remote, decommissioned airfield deep in the Everglades, was proposed in June by Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier and quickly won approval from the Trump administration.
Its nickname comes from both its swampy, escape-proof terrain and its tough-on-crime branding. The site has already become a symbol of Florida’s aggressive approach to immigration enforcement.
