Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has vowed to defy a federal judge\u2019s order to shut down the controversial immigration detention center known as \u201cAlligator Alcatraz.\u201d The facility, located in Ochopee, Florida, has been a key part of the state\u2019s deportation efforts under the Trump administration. DeSantis, anticipating legal pushback, announced a \u201cback-up plan\u201d to continue operations.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis was preordained by an activist judge,\u201d DeSantis said, referring to U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams, who issued an 82-page ruling halting new detainees and mandating the facility\u2019s dismantling within 60 days. Williams, citing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), argued the facility harms endangered species, particularly the Florida panther, and ordered the removal of lighting, fencing, sewage, and other infrastructure.<\/p>\n
Florida officials blasted the decision as politically motivated. \u201cThis ruling ignores that this land has already been developed for a decade,\u201d said DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. \u201cIt\u2019s an attempt to stop the President from deporting the worst of the worst.\u201d<\/p>\n
Attorney General James Uthmeier called the order a \u201cdesperate attempt to derail enforcement,\u201d vowing Alligator Alcatraz would remain operational. DeSantis also announced a second detention facility, dubbed the \u201cDeportation Depot,\u201d set to open in Baker County near Jacksonville, with a 2,000-person capacity and airport access for removals.<\/p>\n
Despite environmental objections, DeSantis maintains the state is leading in immigration enforcement. \u201cWe\u2019re not going to be deterred,\u201d he said. \u201cWe are totally in the right on this.\u201d Roughly 400 detainees remain at the facility, pending appeal outcomes.<\/p>\n