Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida reportedly hailed a federal appeals court on Thursday after it blocked a ruling from an Obama-appointed judge that had temporarily shut down operations at the state’s controversial immigrant detention center, known as “Alligator Alcatraz.”
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit stayed an August 7 order by U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams, who had halted further construction at the facility and barred new detainees from being housed there, citing environmental concerns.
DeSantis blasted the ruling at the time as a political maneuver by a “leftist” judge attempting to undercut Florida’s immigration enforcement efforts.
“The mission continues on immigration enforcement,” the Republican governor said Thursday, celebrating the reversal. “The media was giddy that somehow Alligator Alcatraz was ‘shutting down.’ Now we told them that that wasn’t true, there had been illegal aliens continuing to be there and removed and returned to their home country. But they ran with the narrative because some leftist judge ruled implausibly that somehow Florida wasn’t allowed to use our own property to help the federal government in this important mission because they didn’t do an environmental impact statement.”
He added, “We said we would fight that, and we said the mission would continue, and I’m pleased to say that the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals has just stayed that ruling and stayed the case. So Alligator Alcatraz is, in fact, like we always said, open for business.”
The appellate judges sided with both Florida and the Department of Homeland Security, which had joined in opposing Williams’ injunction. “After careful consideration, we grant the defendants’ motions and we stay the preliminary injunction and the underlying case itself pending appeal,” the panel wrote.
Alligator Alcatraz was conceived earlier this year by Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier and quickly drew the support of President Donald J. Trump’s administration.
Built on an abandoned airfield deep in the Florida Everglades, the facility earned its nickname because of its remote location and reputation for being nearly impossible to escape.
Williams’ original ruling had forced detainees already at the center to be transferred to other facilities while construction was indefinitely halted.
Her order sparked celebrations among progressive activists who have long criticized Florida’s aggressive approach to immigration enforcement. But Thursday’s decision from the 11th Circuit is a clear setback for those hoping to derail the project.
For DeSantis, the appeals court’s intervention serves as a vindication of his legal and political strategy. The governor has made immigration a central focus of his second term, casting Florida as a frontline state in the national debate over border security and federal enforcement failures.
By striking a defiant tone against what he described as judicial overreach, DeSantis signaled that the state would continue pressing forward with policies that align closely with the Trump administration’s emphasis on detaining and deporting unlawful migrants.
“Alligator Alcatraz,” he declared, “is open for business.”
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