U.S. Federal Judge Orders Proof of Permanent Closure of Alligator Alcatraz Detention Center

U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell in the Middle District of Florida denied a motion by federal and state officials to dismiss a lawsuit filed by civil‑rights groups. The judge gave the governments of the United States and Florida five days to produce evidence that the controversial “Alligator Alcatraz” immigration detention facility in the Everglades has been permanently shut down. The center, built as a temporary Trump‑era detention site and visited by former President Donald Trump in July 2025, was announced closed by Governor Ron DeSantis in late June after nearly 21,000 deportations. The ACLU, Americans for Immigrants Justice and other groups allege that detainees suffered abuse, overcrowding and inhumane conditions, especially after many were transferred to the Miami Federal Detention Center. Judge Chappell wrote, “the court has not seen any evidence … to declare the permanent closure of ‘Alligator Alcatraz.’”