Judge Blocks 'Alligator Alcatraz' Expansion, Orders No New Detainees Amid Environmental Concerns

Cloud 9 News
Aug 21
1 min read

Updated: Aug 29

Alligator Alcatraz is an immigration detention facility located in Ochopee, Florida, within the Big Cypress National Preserve. It's officially known as the South Florida Detention Facility and is situated at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport. The facility, which opened on July 3, 2025, has a capacity for 2,000 detainees, with plans to expand to 5,000.

A federal judge has ordered the remote detention camp in the Florida Everglades known as “Alligator Alcatraz” to no longer take additional detainees and remove additional infrastructure added to the site.

A federal lawsuit was filed by environmental groups and a Native American tribe who are concerned with the impact the facility will have on the environmentally sensitive area.

In an additional filing, the state of Florida has indicated it will appeal the judge’s ruling.

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