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**