U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed to news media Tuesday that detainees had been moved out of the “Alligator Alcatraz” immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades.
However, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis indicated the site could still be used for future operations. Heavy equipment, lighting systems, and the movement of hazardous materials continue at the property within Big Cypress National Preserve, according to environmental advocates.
Environmental groups say they will continue pursuing legal action against the immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades, even after federal officials confirmed that all detainees have been relocated from the facility.
Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity, which filed suit against the Trump and DeSantis administrations in June 2025, said they remain committed to returning to court this month to seek a permanent end to the facility and full restoration of the site.
“’Alligator Alcatraz’ will go down as one of the biggest failures in American history,” said Eve Samples, executive director of Friends of the Everglades. “Our government failed to protect the Everglades and failed to follow basic environmental laws — while racking up a $1 billion tab paid by taxpayers. We sued to stop the harm, our case continues, and we will not let up until this makeshift prison permanently closes and all the damage is undone.”
Elise Bennett, Florida and Caribbean director and attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, said the removal of detainees represents progress but does not resolve the broader environmental concerns.
“The Trump and DeSantis administrations have shown that we can’t trust their spin about ‘Alligator Alcatraz,’ and we won’t let them skulk away from this environmental and moral disaster like it never happened,” Bennett said. “The transfer of detained people out of this dystopian hellhole is a significant milestone, but it’s not enough. We’ll keep fighting until panthers can return to the embrace of their native home and bonneted bats can reclaim the star-spangled skies.”
The detention center was rapidly constructed in June 2025 through a partnership between Florida and federal agencies on land within Big Cypress National Preserve without conducting federal environmental reviews required by law, according to the lawsuit.
Friends of the Everglades, represented by Earthjustice and private attorneys Paul Schwiep and Scott Hiaasen, joined with the Center for Biological Diversity in filing suit to enforce environmental review requirements under the National Environmental Policy Act. The Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida, whose villages are located near the facility, later joined the litigation.
“We will not rest until the government is held accountable for violating the law and the public trust,” said Tania Galloni, managing attorney for Earthjustice’s Florida regional office. “It 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.”
The organizations said they also plan to challenge alleged violations of additional environmental statutes beyond the National Environmental Policy Act, including the National Historic Preservation Act and state laws. Friends of the Everglades separately sued Florida in October 2025 over the withholding of public records related to federal control and funding of the facility, later securing a court order in January 2026 requiring disclosure of those records. In May, the Center for Biological Diversity also filed a lawsuit alleging violations of the Clean Air Act.
Attorney Paul J. Schwiep of Coffey Burlington, who represents Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity, criticized the secrecy surrounding the project and its uncertain future.
“This 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 or any commitment that it will be permanently closed,” Schwiep said. “The government may hope to slink away from this debacle, but fundamental federal and state laws enacted to protect the environment have been ignored and we remain committed to ensuring that those responsible are held accountable and that the site is fully remediated to prevent this episode from reoccurring.”
The site has long been the focus of environmental battles. In the 1960s, a proposed jetport at the location prompted writer and environmental activist Marjory Stoneman Douglas to found Friends of the Everglades. The successful campaign against the jetport limited the area’s use for decades to a small pilot training facility and helped inspire creation of the National Environmental Policy Act in 1970.
