Ron DeSantis gave the ACLU one brutal reality check that sent the Left into a fit of rage

The radical Left thought they had Florida cornered with their latest lawsuit.

They were banking on sympathy for illegal immigrants to derail border security.

But Ron DeSantis gave the ACLU one brutal reality check that sent the Left into a fit of rage.

ACLU launches desperate legal assault on border enforcement

The American Civil Liberties Union and their army of open-borders activists have launched a full-scale legal assault against Florida’s Alligator Alcatraz detention facility in the Everglades.

These same lawyers who spend their days finding new ways to coddle criminal aliens are now claiming inmates are being “denied due process” and can’t access legal services.

But here’s what they don’t want you to know – every single person locked up in that facility chose to be there.

DeSantis dropped a truth bomb that sent the ACLU into damage control mode during his press conference in Fort Lauderdale.

“The first thing DHS does is they give you a brochure and they tell you, you don’t have to come here,” DeSantis explained. “You can get, at federal expense, an all expenses paid flight back to your home country. No questions asked.”

Think about that for a second. The federal government is literally offering these illegal immigrants a free ticket home – and they’re refusing it.

Instead, they’d rather sit in detention and have their taxpayer-funded lawyers file frivolous lawsuits claiming their rights are being violated.

Environmental extremists join forces with open-borders lobby

The ACLU isn’t fighting this battle alone. They’ve teamed up with environmental extremist groups like Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity.

These are the same eco-warriors who would rather see criminal aliens roaming free than allow one detention facility in their precious wetlands.

Their lawsuit claims Florida violated federal environmental laws by building the facility without conducting proper impact studies.

But U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams isn’t buying their hysteria.

She made it crystal clear during Monday’s hearing that she’s not going to wade into immigration policy decisions.

“I’m not wading into decisions about immigration. I’m wading into, no pun intended, where this detention center has been put, in the middle of the Everglades,” Williams stated. “I’m here to say, was the appropriate protocol entered into before the decision was made to put the facility there.”

The judge understands what the environmental groups refuse to acknowledge – this isn’t about saving swamp grass. This is about stopping effective border enforcement.

DeSantis exposes media manipulation behind inmate complaints

Governor DeSantis wasn’t pulling any punches when he called out the mainstream media for amplifying bogus complaints from detained illegal immigrants.

“A lot of these are criminal aliens, and they will make claims, and then the media’s kind of running with it,” DeSantis said.

He’s absolutely right. The same media that ignored four years of Biden’s border crisis are now suddenly concerned about conditions at a detention facility where inmates eat the same meals as staff.

“Everyone’s the same there, and they were mad that the ham sandwiches weren’t toasted. Excuse me? I mean, give me a break,” DeSantis remarked.

Untoasted ham sandwiches? That’s what has the ACLU filing federal lawsuits and environmental groups claiming constitutional violations?

Meanwhile, American citizens struggling with inflation can barely afford groceries – but we’re supposed to feel sorry for criminal aliens complaining about sandwich preparation.

Legal experts predict ACLU’s case will collapse

The ACLU’s desperation is showing in their sloppy legal strategy.

They can’t even figure out which federal court district has jurisdiction over their case.

Florida officials are arguing the lawsuit was filed in the wrong court district since the facility is located in Collier County, which falls under the Middle District of Florida – not the Southern District where the ACLU filed their complaint.

“When a cause of action challenges government policy, venue is proper where the policy was made, not where the effects of the policy were felt,” attorney Jesse Panuccio argued in court filings.

The environmental groups’ lawyer Paul Schwiep tried to claim this was “judge-shopping” – but that accusation backfired spectacularly.

Judge Williams scheduled separate hearings for the venue question and the temporary restraining order request, signaling she’s taking the jurisdiction challenge seriously.

Legal experts predict the ACLU’s case will fall apart once it gets moved to the proper court district with judges who aren’t impressed by open-borders grandstanding.

Trump administration backing Florida’s immigration crackdown

What really has the ACLU panicked is that Florida’s aggressive immigration enforcement now has the full backing of the Trump administration.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has praised Florida for stepping up with detention capacity as the federal government expands its immigration crackdown.

The facility can hold up to 3,000 illegal immigrants – and every bed represents someone who won’t be roaming American communities while awaiting deportation proceedings.

DeSantis hasn’t been to the facility since President Trump visited for the soft opening, but he doesn’t need to micromanage every detail when the operation is running smoothly.

“I know that the DHS anticipated that there would be legal involvement,” DeSantis noted. Department of Homeland Security “required there to be certain things” and “legal was a part of that.”

The Governor understands that frivolous lawsuits are just the cost of doing business when you’re serious about enforcing immigration law.

State legislators seeking “notoriety” over border security

Some Florida lawmakers have jumped on the ACLU’s bandwagon, complaining about conditions at Alligator Alcatraz.

DeSantis called them out for what they really are – politicians seeking “notoriety” instead of supporting border security.

These are the same legislators who stayed silent during four years of Biden’s border catastrophe that flooded Florida with illegal immigrants.

Now that there’s finally a solution that works, they want to grandstand about untoasted sandwiches and claim they’re standing up for human rights.

The American people see right through this charade.

They elected Donald Trump to secure the border and deport criminal aliens – not to provide five-star accommodations for people who broke our laws to get here.

Florida is leading the nation in immigration enforcement while other states are still declaring themselves “sanctuary” jurisdictions that protect criminals over citizens.

The real story the media won’t tell you

Here’s what the mainstream media doesn’t want you to know about Alligator Alcatraz.

Every person detained there had the option to return home at federal expense instead of entering the facility.

They chose to stay and fight their cases in American courts rather than accept the free flight back to their home countries.

Staff and inmates eat identical meals – but somehow untoasted ham sandwiches constitute a human rights violation worthy of federal court intervention.

The facility provides legal access as required by federal law – but the ACLU is manufacturing a crisis to justify their existence and raise money from liberal donors.

Environmental groups are using endangered species and wetland protection as cover for their real agenda: stopping effective immigration enforcement.

This isn’t about civil rights or environmental protection. This is about the radical Left’s determination to maintain open borders no matter what American citizens want or what the law requires.

Ron DeSantis understands the game these activists are playing – and he’s not backing down one inch.

Florida will continue leading the nation in immigration enforcement while the ACLU burns through donor money filing frivolous lawsuits that have zero chance of success.

The only thing left scrambling for cover will be the open-borders lobby when their legal challenges collapse in federal court.

¹ A.G. Gancarski, “Gov. DeSantis says he doesn’t know whether Alligator Alcatraz inmates are being denied access to lawyers,” Florida Politics, July 22, 2025.

² Dara Kam, “Florida backs ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ site, says Everglades lawsuit filed in wrong district,” News Service of Florida, July 21, 2025.

³ Mike Schneider, “Environmentalists’ lawsuit to halt ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ filed in wrong court, Florida official says,” Associated Press, July 21, 2025.