{"id":661,"date":"2026-06-26T15:06:53","date_gmt":"2026-06-26T15:06:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=661"},"modified":"2026-06-26T15:06:53","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T15:06:53","slug":"environmental-groups-say-the-fight-to-shut-down-alligator-alcatraz-isnt-over","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=661","title":{"rendered":"Environmental Groups Say the Fight to Shut Down \u201cAlligator Alcatraz\u201d Isn\u2019t Over"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Did you know that Truthout is a nonprofit and independently funded by readers like you? If you value what we do, please support our work with <\/span><\/i>a donation<\/span><\/i>.<\/p>\n

Read more Calls Grow for Release of US Citizen Detained Without Charge in Israel<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Federal immigration officials have transferred detainees out of the controversial detention facility known as \u201cAlligator Alcatraz,\u201d but environmental advocates say the fight to shut down the Florida Everglades site is far from over.<\/p>\n

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed that detainees were removed from the facility, located at a remote airstrip in Big Cypress National Preserve, citing concerns related to hurricane season.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs we enter into hurricane season, ICE and the state of Florida have moved illegal aliens from the soft sided facility,\u201d a spokesperson said in an email to Prism<\/em>. \u201cFor the safety of the illegal alien detainees, we transferred them to other facilities.\u201d<\/p>\n

The announcement follows mounting speculation that the detention center, which was established by the state of Florida in 2025 as part of a broader federal immigration crackdown, would be winding down operations. Environmental groups challenging the project in federal court welcomed the removal of detainees but cautioned against assuming the facility has permanently closed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know that we\u2019re certain that it\u2019s closing just yet,\u201d said Elise Bennett, Florida and Caribbean director and attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, one of the organizations leading the legal challenge against the facility. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe have folks who are monitoring the site today, and they\u2019re saying that they are seeing a ton of activity, busses, vans, trucks going not only off the site but also back on to it, and so we\u2019re really trying to get an understanding of exactly what the federal and state government intend to do with the site at this point,\u201d Bennett told Prism<\/em> in an interview.<\/p>\n

The Center for Biological Diversity and Friends of the Everglades sued state and federal officials shortly after construction began, arguing that authorities bypassed required environmental reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act. The Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida later joined the lawsuit, citing concerns about impacts on tribal lands and nearby communities. The Miccosukee Tribe declined to comment on the potential closure of \u201cAlligator Alcatraz.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe transfer of detained people out of this dystopian hellhole is a significant milestone, but it\u2019s not enough,\u201d Bennett said during a June 17 press conference. \u201cWe\u2019ll keep fighting until panthers can return to the embrace of their native home and bonneted bats can reclaim the star-spangled skies.\u201d<\/p>\n

Last summer, a federal district court granted a preliminary injunction that would have required a wind-down of operations while the case proceeded. However, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned that injunction in September, allowing the facility to remain operational during litigation.<\/p>\n

According to Bennett, the appellate ruling did not decide the merits of the environmental claims. She said the ruling focused on whether plaintiffs had demonstrated sufficient evidence that the project constituted a federal action requiring review under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).<\/p>\n

The plaintiffs are now awaiting the formal issuance of the appellate court\u2019s mandate, which will return the case to U.S. District Court. Once that occurs, attorneys plan to pursue discovery and expand their legal claims, including allegations under the Endangered Species Act and the Clean Air Act.<\/p>\n

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Although detainees have been relocated, Bennett said many of the facility\u2019s impacts remain. According to Bennett, mosquito-control operations, generators, and other support infrastructure remain active. Generators, vehicles, and other infrastructure are still present at the site and continue to pose risks to wildlife and water quality, Bennett said. Additionally, bright nighttime lighting, pavement runoff, fuel storage, and waste management systems have disrupted habitat for endangered species and increased the risk of contamination.<\/p>\n

\u201cPanthers have crossed the site, we have documentation of that,\u201d Bennett told Prism. \u201cFlorida bonneted bats, another endangered species, have critical habitat that overlaps with this Miami-Dade County property, and they need dark skies to feed, so there\u2019s a concern when you\u2019ve got blinding lights that are still visible via satellite.\u201d<\/p>\n

Groups also questioned the decision to remove detainees because of hurricane season after people were housed at the facility during last year\u2019s season.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018Alligator Alcatraz\u2019 will go down as one of the biggest failures in American history,\u201d Eve Samples, executive director of Friends of the Everglades, said during the press conference. \u201cOur government failed to protect the Everglades and failed to follow basic environmental laws \u2014 while racking up a $1 billion tab paid by taxpayers.\u201d<\/p>\n

The groups contend that state and federal agencies constructed the facility without public input or environmental review and have provided little information about plans for cleanup or future use of the property.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis facility was conceived behind closed doors, constructed without any public input, operated in secret, and now is apparently being mothballed without any explanation of how the site will be remediated,\u201d attorney Paul J. Schwiep, counsel for Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity, said during the press conference.<\/p>\n

The dispute carries particular significance because of the site\u2019s history. The airstrip at the center of the controversy was once the focus of a major environmental battle over a proposed jetport in the 1960s. Conservationists led by Marjory Stoneman Douglas successfully fought the project, a campaign that helped inspire the passage of the NEPA in 1970.<\/p>\n

Friends of the Everglades, the organization Douglas founded in 1969, argues that the current detention center represents a renewed threat to the same environmentally sensitive landscape that conservationists worked decades to protect.<\/p>\n

Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday that the detention center was always intended to be temporary but declined to declare that it was permanently shuttered, noting that future operations depend on decisions by the Department of Homeland Security. Environmental groups say that uncertainty is exactly why they intend to continue pressing their case in court.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will not rest until the government is held accountable for violating the law and the public trust,\u201d Tania Galloni, managing attorney for Earthjustice\u2019s Florida regional office, said during the press conference. \u201cIt is great that detainees have been removed from this devastating facility. But the risks to people and the environment remain. Now we must make sure nothing like this happens again.\u201d<\/p>\n

Prism is an independent and nonprofit newsroom led by journalists of color. We report from the ground up and at the intersections of injustice.<\/em><\/p>\n

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\u201cWe will not rest until the government is held accountable for violating the law,\u201d said an attorney.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":660,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-661","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"\nEnvironmental Groups Say the Fight to Shut Down \u201cAlligator Alcatraz\u201d Isn\u2019t Over - Smart Moving Home<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=661\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Environmental Groups Say the Fight to Shut Down \u201cAlligator Alcatraz\u201d Isn\u2019t Over - 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