Original Date Announced

The New York Times reports that Florida is converting an airfield in the Everglades into a detention facility for immigrants nicknamed “Alligator Alcatraz." The facility will cost Florida approximately $450 million annually. Tricia McLaughlin, a DHS spokeswoman, said Florida can request reimbursement from FEMA; the money will be drawn from a fund created in the Biden administration to pay local entities for housing and care of newly arrived noncitizens.

Trump 2.0 [ID #1830]

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2025.06.27 Complaint - Friends of the Everglades v. Noem

Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s plan to build a large immigrant-detention facility, referred to as “Alligator Alcatraz,” at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport site in the Big Cypress National Preserve. The lawsuit alleges that federal and state officials approved the project without complying with the National Environmental Policy Act, the Administrative Procedure Act, and other federal, state, and local environmental laws. Plaintiffs argue that the site, which lies within critical habitat for multiple endangered species, cannot lawfully be transformed into a detention center without proper environmental review. The complaint seeks declaratory and injunctive relief to block construction and associated activities. Friends of the Everglades v. Noem, No. 1:25-cv-22896 (S.D. Fla.).

**Link to case here. Our litigation entries generally report only the initial complaint and any major substantive filings or decisions. For additional information, CourtListener provides access to PACER and all available pleadings. Other sites that track litigation in more detail or organize cases by topic include Civil Rights Clearinghouse, Justice Action Center, National Immigration Litigation Alliance, and Just Security**

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2025.07.16 Complaint - C.M. v. Noem

The ACLU and Americans for Immigrant Justice filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over lack of access to legal counsel and due process violations for people detained in Florida's new immigration center "Alligator Alcatraz." The lawsuit is a class action lawsuit on behalf of those detained at the facility and legal service provides with clients at the facility. The lawsuit alleges that the government is violating the First and Fifth Amendment by banning in-person legal visitation, confidential phone or video communication, and confidential exchange of written documents. The complaint requests that the government provide accurate location of detainees held at the facility and requests secure confidential attorney-client communications with detainees, including in-person and telephone calls.

The Complaint additionally alleges that bond-eligible noncitizens detained at the facility are unable to request bond hearings in immigration court. C.M. v. Noem, No. 1:25-cv-23182 (S.D. Fla.).

**Link to case here. See litigation note above**

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2025.08.04 Reported: Kristi Noem says "Alligator Alcatraz" to be model for ICE state-run detention centers - CBS News

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem says that "Alligator Alcatraz" will serve as a model for future state-run migrant detention centers. Noem is prioritizing sites near airports, with potential locations for similar detention centers being built in Arizona, Nebraska, and Louisiana.

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2025.08.07 TRO - Friends of the Everglades v. Noem

A federal judge issued an order partially granting plaintiff's motion for a temporary restraining order. The order bars the government from continuing construction on the "Alligator Alcatraz" facility for fourteen days, but allows defendants to continue operating the facility at its current capacity.

The court found that the plaintiffs are likely to succeed on their APA claim based on NEPA, and that the balance of equities and public interest favor granting the TRO. In particular, it found that “[t]he harm to Defendants from briefly suspending expansion of the Facility is minimal, especially given that the Court is not enjoining continued operations of the site nor even preventing additional detainees from being brought to the site if current capacity allows." Friends of the Everglades v. Noem, No. 1:25-cv-22896 (S.D. Fla.).

**Link to case here. See litigation note above**

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2025.08.21 Preliminary Injunction - Friends of the Everglades v. Noem

Judge Kathleen Williams of the Southern District of Florida issued a preliminary injunction prohibiting both the Department of Homeland Security and the State of Florida from engaging in further construction on or bringing any additional detainees to the "Alligator Alcatraz" detention facility. Judge Williams found that the plaintiffs were likely to succeed on the merits of their claims that the defendants' construction of the facility violated the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) as a "major federal action" undertaken without an environmental impact study. The injunction further requires the defendants to remove the temporary fencing, lighting, generators, gas, and sewage equipment at the detention facility within 60 days. It allows "[t]he housing and detention dormitory facilities" to "remain and be maintained to prevent deterioration or damage." Friends of the Everglades, Inc. v. Noem, 1:25-cv-22896, (S.D. Fla.).

**Link to case here. See litigation note above**

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2025.08.22 Complaint - M.A. v. Guthrie

The national ACLU, ACLU of Florida, Community Justice Project, and National Immigrant Justice Center filed suit and petitioned for habeas corpus on behalf of people detained at the Everglades facility. The suit focuses on Florida's use of 287(g) agreements to assert independent state control over immigration detainees and argues that Florida lacks authority to operate an immigration jail through 287(g). M.A. v. Guthrie, No. 2:25-cv-00765 (M.D. Fla.).

**Link to case here. See litigation note above**

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2025.08.27 Reported: Top Florida official says ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ will likely be empty within days, email shows - AP News

The Associated Press reports that a top Florida official says the Everglades detention center, called by some "Alligator Alcatraz," will likely be empty within days. This comes as the DeSantis administration and the federal government appeal a judge's order to shut it down. In an August 22, 2025 email, Florida emergency management director Kevin Guthrie told a South Florida rabbi that the facility would soon have zero detainees.

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2025.09.04 Order Granting Stay - Friends of the Everglades v. Noem

A divided panel of the 11th Circuit stayed the preliminary injunction granted by Judge Williams of the Southern District of Florida. Florida can thus continue using and constructing "Alligator Alcatraz" as an immigration detention center. The court found that "Defendants are likely to demonstrate on appeal that the Plaintiffs have failed to state a viable claim based on the Federal Defendants' alleged violation of [the National Environmental Policy Act] and the [Administrative Procedure Act]." Friends of the Everglades, Inc. v. Noem, No. 25-12873 (11th Cir.).

**Link to case here. See litigation note above**

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2025.09.16 Reported: Hundreds of Alligator Alcatraz detainees drop off the grid after leaving site - Miami Herald

The Miami Herald reports that at the end of August 2025, the whereabouts of about two-thirds of about 1,800 men detained at Alligator Alcatraz in July could not be determined. Roughly 800 did not appear in ICE's online database, and more than 450 were listed only as "Call ICE for details," which could indicate transfer, processing, or imminent deportation. Some may have been deported, despite lacking final removal orders. Others may still be in the facility, which is state-run. Florida does not maintain a tracking database.

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2025.10.01 Reported: Inside ‘Alligator Alcatraz,’ where detainees’ uniform color is based on criminal history - AP News

The Associated Press (AP) reports on rules imposed on Everglades-facility detainees. They are given color-coded uniforms, segregated based on criminal history and perceived flight risk, and made to abide by strict rules on dress, hygiene, and behavior. Only a limited set of personal belongings is allowed, and moving or talking during headcounts is prohibited. A detainee handbook outlining all such behavioral requirements was produced during litigation.

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2025.10.03 Reported: Feds approve Florida for a $608 million ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ reimbursement - AP News

The Associated Press (AP) reports that the federal government has approved a $608 million reimbursement to Florida for building and running the Everglades facility. The funds have yet to be released and are currently pending additional review by FEMA. The report also details how the reimbursement exposes Florida to a possible future court order that could force it to close the facility a second time: Notably, the first federal district-court injunction ordering closure was stayed by the Eleventh Circuit because Florida "had yet to receive federal money for the project."