A federal appeals court has just dropped the hammer on a Democrat-aligned activist judge who issued an order to block operations at Florida’s “Alligator Alcatraz” immigration detention center.
On Thursday, the appeals court halted a ruling from Barack Obama-appointed U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams.
Williams’ order would have shut down Alligator Alcatraz.
The three-judge panel in Atlanta decided by a 2-1 vote to stay the activist judge’s order pending the outcome of an appeal, saying it was in the public interest.
The ruling allows the facility to continue holding detainees while the case moves forward.
Last month, Williams’ injunction ordered Florida to wind down operations at the Everglades facility by the end of October.
Williams had also blocked the state from further expanding the detention site and required the equipment and fencing to be removed.
Victory secured against activist judge who held me in contempt!
The 11th Circuit not only blocked Judge Williams’ order to close Alligator Alcatraz, but they blocked her from proceeding with the case until the appeal is complete.
A win for Florida and President Trump’s agenda!
— Attorney General James Uthmeier (@AGJamesUthmeier) September 4, 2025
Her order stemmed from a lawsuit filed by Friends of the Everglades, the Center for Biological Diversity, and the Miccosukee Tribe, who argued that the state and federal government had skirted environmental review requirements.
They claimed the facility threatens protected wetlands and wildlife.
Environmental activists blasted Thursday’s ruling.
“This is a heartbreaking blow to America’s Everglades and every living creature there, but the case isn’t even close to over,” Elise Bennett, senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who built the detention center in June at a single-runway training airport in the Everglades, welcomed the ruling.
DeSantis has argued that the remote location strengthens security and deters escape attempts.
“We said we would fight that,” DeSantis said Thursday on social media.
“We said the mission would continue.
“So Alligator Alcatraz is in fact, like we’ve always said, open for business.”
President Donald Trump toured the facility in July, praising it as a model for future detention centers across the country as part of his mass deportation plan.
The Department of Homeland Security also applauded the appeals court decision, calling it “a win for the American people, the rule of law, and common sense.”
“This lawsuit was never about the environmental impacts of turning a developed airport into a detention facility,” DHS said in a statement.
“It has and will always be about open-borders activists and judges trying to keep law enforcement from removing dangerous criminal aliens from our communities, full stop.”
Plaintiffs vowed to keep fighting in court, insisting the facility will eventually be shut down.
“If the DeSantis and Trump administrations choose to ramp operations back up at the detention center, they will just be throwing good money after bad,” Eve Samples, executive director of Friends of the Everglades, claimed.
The case raises unique legal questions because Florida financed the construction of the facility without direct federal dollars, even though it houses federal detainees.
Plaintiffs argue that the distinction still triggers environmental review requirements.
The appeals court said Thursday it largely accepted those claims, but allowed the facility to remain open pending further litigation.
READ MORE – Court Dooms Wisconsin Activist Judge, Rules She Must Face Charges for Obstructing ICE
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