A federal appeals court has cleared the way for Florida to continue operating its migrant detention facility in the Everglades, often referred to as \u201cAlligator Alcatraz,\u201d reversing a lower court order that had halted construction and temporarily shut down a site backed by the Trump administration.<\/p>\n
On Thursday, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) announced that the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals granted a stay of U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams\u2019 August 7 ruling, which had blocked further work at the detention facility, which primarily houses criminal aliens.<\/p>\n
Williams, an Obama appointee, had issued a temporary restraining order citing environmental concerns and the absence of a formal environmental impact statement. Her order suspended housing new detainees at the site and halted construction, forcing transfers of migrants to other detention centers across Florida.<\/p>\n
In its ruling, a three-judge appellate panel sided with both Florida state officials and the Department of Homeland Security, which jointly appealed Williams\u2019 decision. \u201cAfter careful consideration, we grant the defendants\u2019 motions and we stay the preliminary injunction and the underlying case itself pending appeal,\u201d the court wrote.<\/p>\n
The decision reinstates Florida\u2019s ability to use the facility while the broader legal case plays out.<\/p>\n
DeSantis celebrated the outcome, calling it a win against judicial interference in immigration enforcement.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe media was giddy that somehow Alligator Alcatraz was \u2018shutting down,\u2019\u201d DeSantis said. \u201cNow we told them that that wasn\u2019t true. There had been illegal aliens continuing to be there and removed and returned to their home country.\u201d<\/p>\n