Appeals court panel stops order to wind down operations at 'Alligator Alcatraz' in Everglades
MIKE SCHNEIDERUpdated Wed, September 3, 2025 at 11:02 PM CDT
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A police officer urges Art Sennholtz, 80, center, and Christy Howard, 70, of Just Us Volusia to be careful of fast-moving traffic as they hold protest signs outside the entrance to an immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades known as "Alligator Alcatraz," Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025, in Collier County, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
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ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A federal appeals court panel on Thursday put on hold a lower court judge’s order to end operations indefinitely at the immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz.”
The three-judge panel in Atlanta decided by a 2-1 vote to stay the federal judge’s order pending the outcome of an appeal, saying it was in the public interest. The ruling will allow the facility to continue holding detainees for the time being.
U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams in Miami issued a preliminary injunction last month ordering operations at the facility to be wound down by the end of October, with detainees transferred to other facilities and equipment and fencing removed.
Appeals court panel stops order to wind down operations at 'Alligator Alcatraz' in Everglades
A federal appeals court panel on Thursday put on hold a lower court judge’s order to end operations indefinitely at the immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz.” The ruling will allow the facility to continue holding detainees for the time being. U.S...