Alligator Alcatraz" Now Empty: Environmental Groups Keep Legal Fight Alive

"Alligator Alcatraz" now empty marks a pivotal moment in a long-running environmental dispute, as ICE confirmed on Tuesday that detainees had been moved out of the Florida Everglades facility. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis suggested the site could still be used for future operations, adding to uncertainty about the facility’s fate. Environmental advocates report ongoing activity on the property, including heavy equipment, lighting systems, and the movement of hazardous materials inside Big Cypress National Preserve. The center was rapidly built in June 2025 through a Florida-federal partnership on preserve land, a mechanism critics contend bypassed required environmental reviews. Activists from Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity have pledged to return to court this month to seek a permanent end to the facility and full restoration of the site. They are joined by the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida, whose villages lie near the site, in challenging a broader set of environmental protections beyond NEPA. The groups argue the project violated the National Environmental Policy Act and aim to litigate over the National Historic Preservation Act and state laws. Separately, Friends of the Everglades sued Florida in October 2025 over withheld public records about federal control and funding, a battle that produced a January 2026 court order requiring disclosure. In May, the Center for Biological Diversity filed another suit alleging Clean Air Act violations. Attorneys for the groups criticized secrecy surrounding the project, underscoring the environmental and political controversies that persist around Alligator Alcatraz.