Alligator Alcatraz runs despite court order, DeSantis says

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday said operations at the immigration detention center dubbed Alligator Alcatraz continued, despite a federal judge’s order stopping construction at the site for two weeks. The facility remained operational, and the ruling wouldn’t affect immigration enforcement in Florida, added Alex Lanfranconi, DeSantis’ communications director.

What’s the judge’s order about? Judge Kathleen Williams on Thursday blocked all construction, including that of new buildings, for 14 days while considering a case brought by plaintiffs who include an environmentalist group and a local Native American tribe. The plaintiffs seek a complete end to any use of the site, an old airport about 40 miles west of Miami, located in a nature preserve that borders Everglades National Park. Williams cited concerns that rain runoff from the detention center could damage its surrounding ecosystem as one reason for her Thursday decision.

It wasn’t immediately clear whether DeSantis and Lanfranconi’s statements about ongoing operations on Thursday included construction work.

Where else are detention centers for illegal immigrants being constructed? The Department of Homeland Security on Tuesday said it was partnering with the state of Indiana to open a 1,000-bed detention facility in part of the Miami Correctional Center in Indiana. Dubbed the Speedway Slammer, the facility will be funded by the money allotted to Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the One Big Beautiful Bill, the department said.

Dig deeper: Read Josh Schumacher’s story about confusion over due process at Alligator Alcatraz.