Melissa Donovan
Environmental organizations have filed a federal lawsuit aimed at stopping the construction of a new immigrant detention facility—dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz“—in the heart of the Florida Everglades, raising serious concerns about environmental damage and lack of public input.
The lawsuit, filed on June 27 in Miami federal court by Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity, seeks to block the development until a full environmental review and public comment period are conducted, as required by federal and state law. The groups also submitted an emergency request for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction to halt construction efforts.
Despite the legal challenge, the state of Florida is moving forward with the project. Just one business day after the lawsuit was filed, state attorneys submitted a 22-page response urging the court to dismiss the suit. By July 1, construction at the Miami-Dade County-owned airfield in Big Cypress National Preserve was visibly underway. Tents had been erected, utilities installed, and officials—including former President Donald Trump, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, U.S. Congressman Byron Donalds, and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem—toured the site.
The facility, located roughly 45 miles west of downtown Miami, is being built on a site comprised of over 96% wetlands. Environmental advocates argue it poses a significant threat to the region’s fragile ecosystem, including the endangered Florida panther and other native species. The estimated operational cost of the facility is $450 million annually.
“This scheme is not only cruel, it threatens the Everglades ecosystem that state and federal taxpayers have spent billions to protect,” Eve Samples, executive director of Friends of the Everglades, said in the lawsuit. “Friends of the Everglades was founded by Marjory Stoneman Douglas in 1969 to stop harmful development at this very location. Fifty-six years later, the threat has returned — and it poses another existential threat to the Everglades.”
Elise Bennett, Florida and Caribbean director for the Center for Biological Diversity, echoed these concerns.
“This massive detention center will blight one of the most iconic ecosystems in the world,” Bennett said. “This reckless attack on the Everglades — the lifeblood of Florida — risks polluting sensitive waters and turning more endangered Florida panthers into roadkill. It makes no sense to build what’s essentially a new development in the Everglades for any reason, but this reason is particularly despicable.”
The lawsuit names multiple agencies as defendants, including the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the Florida Division of Emergency Management. The plaintiffs are represented by Earthjustice and a legal team that includes Scott Hiaasen, son of Florida author and journalist Carl Hiaasen.
State officials, however, continue to defend the facility as part of Florida’s broader support for federal immigration enforcement. During the July 1 site visit, Gov. DeSantis dismissed criticism of the project, characterizing opponents as “pro-immigrant agitators.”
As legal proceedings unfold, the debate over “Alligator Alcatraz” has become a flashpoint at the intersection of immigration policy and environmental protection, with national attention focused on the future of this controversial development in the Everglades.
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