Undocumented Immigrants

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 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.

Government attorneys argued in court that a legal challenge to a hastily-built immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades was filed in the wrong jurisdiction. Wednesday's hearing was the first of two hearings over the legality of "Alligator Alcatraz" in a lawsuit brought by environmental groups. Federal and state government attorneys argue that even though the property is owned by Miami-Dade County, Florida's southern district is the wrong venue for the lawsuit since the detention center is located in neighboring Collier County, which is in the state's middle district. Any decision by the judge could influence another lawsuit over the center brought by civil rights groups.

Lawyers seeking a temporary restraining order against an immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades say that “Alligator Alcatraz” detainees have been barred from meeting attorneys. They also say that the detainees are being held without any charges and that federal immigration courts have canceled bond hearings. A virtual hearing in federal court in Miami was held Monday over the lawsuit. Critics have condemned the facility as a cruel and inhumane threat to detainees, while Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and other Republican state officials have defended it as part of the state’s aggressive push to support President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration.

Environmentalists warn that each day Alligator Alcatraz remains up and running is one more day of irreparable damage to the Everglades, and area that is North America’s only subtropical wilderness and home to thousands of native plants and animal species and dozens of which are endangered or threatened.

Gov. Ron DeSantis said Friday that deportation flights by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security out of the Everglades detention center have begun with about 100 detainees transferred out of the country.Speaking at a media briefing at what has been dubbed Alligator Alcatraz Friday morning, DeSantis said the state is looking forward to increasing the removals.

Federal officials are “overwhelmed” by the number of undocumented immigrants being locked up as part of President Donald Trump’s mass deportation plan because of a detention-bed shortage, according to a key player in Florida’s efforts to assist the White House.The capacity issue is expected to escalate in Florida in the coming weeks as sheriffs and police chiefs ramp up arrests and detention of undocumented immigrants, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd told Gov. Ron DeSantis and state Cabinet members, who met Tuesday as the State Board of Immigration Enforcement.

Two people keenly familiar with the Everglades are on a mission to blunt the image stoked by the name Alligator Alcatraz.