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A judge has overturned a previous decision by an Obama-appointed judge to close Florida’s “Alligator Alcatraz” immigration facility.
A federal appeals court ruled on Thursday that the facility does not need to be closed.
“Alligator Alcatraz” as the facility has come to be known, is set in the state’s famous Everglades and boasts formidable natural defenses against escape—including alligators—as well as its own airstrip for deportation flights.
“The facility can continue to operate and hold detainees for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, but workers will be barred from adding any new filling, paving or infrastructure for the next 14 days. U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams issued the ruling during a hearing and said she will issue a written order later Thursday,” The Associated Press reported.
Last month, US District Judge Kathleen Williams barred the Trump administration from housing any more illegal immigrants in the facility and ordered that it should be closed within 60 days.
In response to the fresh decision, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis posted a video to X and vowed, “The mission continues at Alligator Alcatraz.”
“We said we would fight [the decision], we said the mission would continue, and I’m pleased to say the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals has just stayed that ruling and just stayed the case. So Alligator Alcatraz is, in fact, like we’ve always said, open for business. The mission continues, and we’re going to continue leading the way when it comes to immigration enforcement.”
Hundreds of illegals have already been deported from Alligator Alcatraz.
Alligator Alcatraz was built in a matter of days and currently holds around 2,000 people.
According to Governor DeSantis, the facility can hold double that amount.
“We were able to, under Kevin Guthrie’s leadership, within record time, create a facility that could support intake, processing and eventually deporting these illegal aliens. And that’s important to deport from Florida and obviously from the United States as well, ” DeSantis said.
With the passage of President Trump’s flagship “Big Beautiful Bill,” massive expansion of detention capacity and deportation operations is planned.
The Trump administration has now awarded $1.26 billion to build the nation’s largest detention and deportation center, in Texas.
The center will be constructed at Fort Bliss, a million-acre site close to El Paso, on the Mexican border, with its own airport.
There will be room for 5,000 beds in heated and air-conditioned tents.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed the Department of Homeland Security will construct new detention facilities on other military bases, in Indiana and New Jersey.
Camp Atterbury in central Indiana and Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey will be available “for temporary use by the Department of Homeland Security to house illegal aliens,” Sec. Hegseth said.
Since President Trump returned to the White House, his administration has added more than 60 new facilities for housing migrants set for deportation.
According to a recent report from The Wall Street Journal, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is rushing to expand its detention capacity, after receiving $45 billion in extra funding after the passing of President Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill.
The goalis to expand capacity from 40,000 to 100,000 before the end of the year. This will be done, in part, by building a large network of tent camps nationwide.
ICE will also be offering a $50,000 bonus to former agents who rejoin, as it seeks to boost manpower in order to ramp up deportations.
Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill provided ICE with an extra $75 billion in funding, including $30 billion for arrest and deportation efforts and $45 billion to expand detention capacity.
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