Alligator Alcatraz

Civil rights lawyers say many migrant detainees in Florida's "Alligator Alcatraz" are being barred from meeting regularly with attorneys and are being held in dangerous conditions.

Florida's corrections agency and ICE updated an agreement on handling federal immigration detainees, but they did it more than a month after 'Alligator Alcatraz' opened. This update was made public Thursday in court documents. The facility built in the Florida Everglades has faced criticism for allegedly restricting detainees' access to attorneys and immigration courts. A civil rights lawsuit has been filed, and a federal judge has ordered officials to clarify who has legal authority over detainees. Another judge in a separate lawsuit temporarily halted construction on Thursday while she considers whether it violates environmental laws. Florida claims detainees have had access to legal counsel.

A federal judge has ordered a temporary halt to construction of an immigration detention center — built in the middle of the Florida Everglades and dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz" — as attorneys argue whether it violates environmental laws. Under Thursday's order, the facility can continue to operate and hold detainees for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Environmental groups and the Miccosukee Tribe have asked U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams to issue a preliminary injunction to halt operations and further construction.

A July 2025 CBS/YouGov poll asked Americans, "Do you approve or disapprove of the Trump administration's program to find and deport immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally?"The respondents were divided, with 49% of Americans approving and 51% disapproving.

Top Trump administration officials boast that a new partnership to expand immigrant detention in Indiana will be the next so-called "Alligator Alcatraz." The plan will add 1,000 beds for immigrant detainees at a prison outside of Indianapolis. The agreement is already prompting backlash in the Midwest state, starting with its splashy "Speedway Slammer" moniker. Leaders of the Indianapolis community of Speedway, which is home to the iconic racetrack, say they weren't consulted. The plan comes as federal officials also consider adding temporary detention space at a central Indiana military base.

A federal judge is hearing arguments about an immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades, known as "Alligator Alcatraz." Environmental groups and the Miccosukee Tribe want to halt the project, claiming it violates environmental laws and threatens sensitive wetlands. The lawsuit in Miami challenges the detention center, built over a month ago on a Miami-Dade County airstrip. A separate lawsuit by civil rights groups argues detainees' rights are being violated. Attorneys for federal and state agencies argue the case was filed in the wrong jurisdiction. The judge has not yet ruled on this argument.

A federal judge has ordered officials to produce agreements showing who has legal authority at "Alligator Alcatraz," an immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades. The order, issued Monday, is part of a civil rights lawsuit claiming detainees' rights are being violated. Officials must provide documents by Thursday. The facility was hastily constructed over a month ago. The lawsuit says detainees are being held without charges and are barred from meeting attorneys. Environmental groups have also sued over the facility, arguing the project didn't follow environmental laws. The Archdiocese of Miami celebrated the first Mass at the center on Saturday.

For generations, The Miccosukee Tribe have lived and created a connection with the land that now hosts the Immigration Detention Center known as Alligator Alcatraz.

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz was given the chance to tour the controversial Immigration Detention Center in the heart of The Everglades. She has introduced legislation to defund the facility.

In a matter of eight days, The State of Florida took a barely used Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport and transformed it into the Immigration Detention Center known as “Alligator Alcatraz.”