A federal court has mandated the closure of President Donald Trump’s prized Everglades detention facility, delivering a significant setback to the administration’s immigration enforcement strategy.
U.S. District Judge Kathleen Mary Williams issued the bombshell ruling requiring the dismantling of the facility within the next 60 days and prohibiting the intake of additional illegal migrants.
The decision represents a major blow to the detention center that Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) had championed and Trump had personally celebrated during a high-profile visit.
Judge Williams specified that she expects the facility’s population to decrease within 60 days through transfers to other detention centers, after which all fencing, lighting and generators must be removed.
The detention center opened in July and sits in the heart of the Florida Everglades, earning recognition from the White House as the flagship of the administration’s deportation operations.
Trump praised the facility as “incredible” during a tour with DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in the same month it opened.
The ruling marks another instance of judicial opposition to Trump’s immigration policies, particularly regarding the issue that proved decisive in his 2024 election victory – removing migrants he characterized as “the worst of the worst.”
Williams prohibited state and federal defendants from bringing anyone beyond current detainees onto the property.
The Miccosukee Native American Tribe and environmental organizations initiated the legal challenge, requesting the facility cease accepting new migrants.
The plaintiffs argued that continued construction and operations should halt until federal and state officials comply with environmental regulations.
Their lawsuit maintains the project endangers environmentally sensitive wetlands housing protected flora and fauna and could undermine billions of dollars in environmental restoration efforts.
A spokesperson for Gov. DeSantis indicated the state would not capitulate to the court order when contacted by the Daily Mail.
“The deportations will continue until morale improves,” Communications Director Alex Lanfranconi stated.
Miccosukee Tribe Chairman Talbert Cypress declared: “This is not the first fight for our land and our rights. We welcome the court’s decision to halt further expansion of this facility, and we will continue to fight to ensure that the government does not dodge its legal requirements for environmental review on seized public lands sacred to our people.”
Eve Samples, executive director of Friends of the Everglades, said the ruling “sends a clear message that environmental laws must be respected by leaders at the highest levels of our government — and there are consequences for ignoring them.”
The preliminary injunction permits modifications or repairs to existing facilities solely for safety purposes or to mitigate environmental risks, according to the judge’s 82-page order.
Judge Williams noted that state officials failed to adequately justify why the facility required placement in the middle of the Florida Everglades.
“What is apparent, however, is that in their haste to construct the detention camp, the State did not consider alternative locations,” Williams wrote.
Government attorneys contended that since the detention center would house federal detainees but operate entirely under Florida’s authority, federal environmental law did not apply.
The judge determined the detention facility represented at minimum a joint partnership between state and federal government.
Construction teams rapidly built the detention center two months ago at a minimally used, single-runway training airport in the Everglades.
The facility currently houses several hundred detainees but was designed to eventually accommodate up to 3,000 detainees in temporary tent structures.
During Trump’s July tour of the facility, the president expressed strong approval and hoped other states would construct similar buildings.
“It is not a place I want to go hiking any time soon,” Trump said.
“Very soon this facility will house some of the most menacing migrants, the most vicious people on the planet. We’re surrounded by miles of swamp land and the only way out is deportation.”
Trump indicated he wanted to see comparable facilities in “many states,” adding Florida would receive a second facility “and probably a couple more.”
The president noted the facilities might develop into a long-term detention system and praised the site selection, comparing it favorably to the original Alcatraz prison.
Trump observed he “couldn’t care less” about the controversy surrounding the facilities.
The president appeared satisfied with the setup during his inspection, viewing stacks of bunk beds behind chain-link fencing inside an air-conditioned tent in the Florida swamp.
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Author: Jordyn M.
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