‘Alligator Alcatraz closure sparks hope’ was printed in The Miami Hurricane on Sept. 4 following a court order to shut down the immigration detention center. That very same day, an appellate court froze that decision.
The setback came after the defense convinced the three-judge panel, in a 2–1 decision, that the detention center is a state operation, not federal. Because the National Environmental Policy Act applies only to projects under substantial federal control the prosecution’s case collapsed. Its central claim rested on Alligator Alcatraz violating NEPA.
Yet, the project has been puppeteered by the federal government since its inception. The detention center only sprung into existence when the Department of Homeland Security requested the facility be built. And by further implication, following its rapid eight day construction, DHS secretary Kristi Noem personally inspected the site with president Trump. Since then, ICE and DHS have rapidly filled the site with hundreds of detainees. Lastly, Kristi Noem and Florida’s governor DeSantis have publicly stated the federal government would be funding the entire project through FEMA.
How is none of this indicative of federal control?
Florida politicians Ron DeSantis and James Uthemeir boasted online after the ruling. “The mission continues on immigration enforcement…the media was giddy that Alligator Alcatraz was shutting down because some leftist judge ruled, implausibly, that somehow Florida was not allowed to use our own property because they didn’t do an environmental impact statement” said Governor DeSantis on X.
But recent events suggest this confidence is cracking. On Sept. 18, reports emerged that hundreds of immigrants at the detention center had mysteriously gone missing. While officials have not confirmed their whereabouts, some reports claim they were transferred to Florida’s latest immigration detention center, “Deportation Depot,” in the northeast.
With two pivotal cases looming over Alligator Alcatraz, these disappearances hint at a waning confidence in securing a favorable outcome. This decision should also be seen as highly unethical and attacked in the courts for its legality.
Environmentalists and tribal communities feel the sting of the latest ruling but remain hopeful as the case heads to a new appellate panel of three judges.
“This is a heartbreaking blow to America’s Everglades and every living creature there, but the fight isn’t even close to over and I’m confident we’ll ultimately prevail,” said Elise Bennett, senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity.
For now, the fate of Alligator Alcatraz remains unresolved. Both sides have taken a win in court, but one fact is uncontested — the project continues to degrade the land around it.