The ongoing construction of a mass detention facility in the Florida Everglades for up to 5,000 undocumented immigrants violates both federal and state laws, environmental groups allege in a new federal lawsuit.
Friends of the Everglades Inc. and the Center for Biological Diversity filed the lawsuit June 27 against the federal Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as well as Miami-Dade County and the executive director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management. The complaint alleges violations of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Administrative Procedure Act (APA) and state statutes.
“Construction on the detention center has unfolded at a breakneck pace, and is ongoing,” the lawsuit states. “The (Emergency Management) Division took control of the site only on June 23, 2025. Since then, kitchen facilities, restrooms, housing facilities, portable industrial lighting and other infrastructure have been positioned on site, and heavy vehicular traffic in and out of the site has been observed, and is ongoing.”
The detention site, dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz,” is located at what is now a pilot-training facility occupying 17,000 acres. The site is owned by Miami-Dade County and borders the Big Cypress National Preserve and Big Cypress Area, which are protected, ecologically sensitive lands containing threatened species such as the Florida panther, Everglade Snail kite and Florida bonneted bat, according to the lawsuit.
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Author: Faith Novak
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