❓WHAT HAPPENED: The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals has moved to block an order by U.S. District Court Judge Kathleen Williams that would have closed a Florida illegal immigration detention facility dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz.”
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, U.S. District Court Judge Kathleen Williams, the State of Florida, and the Trump administration.
📍WHEN & WHERE: Thursday, September 4, 2025.
💬KEY QUOTE: “The 11th Circuit not only blocked Judge Williams’ order to close Alligator Alcatraz, but they blocked her from proceeding with the case until the appeal is complete.” — Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier
🎯IMPACT: The administration may restart operations at “Alligator Alcatraz” in light of the ruling.
The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals has moved to block an order by Barack Obama-appointed U.S. District Court Judge Kathleen Williams that would have closed a Florida illegal immigration detention facility dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz.” In addition to staying Judge Williams’s preliminary injunction that would have closed the Everglades-based facility, the appellate court further barred the District Court from proceeding further with the case, as its initial ruling is being appealed.
“The State and Federal Defendants have filed motions to stay that injunction pending appeal. After careful consideration, we GRANT the Defendants’ motions, and we STAY the preliminary injunction and the underlying case itself pending appeal,” Judge Barbara Lagoa wrote for the three-judge appellate panel.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, responding to the ruling, stated: “The 11th Circuit not only blocked Judge Williams’ order to close Alligator Alcatraz, but they blocked her from proceeding with the case until the appeal is complete.”
Following Judge Williams’s initial ruling and injunction, the Trump White House had signalled it would wind down operations at “Alligator Alcatraz” and instead move detainees to other facilities, including another located in northern Florida, along with detention centers in Indiana, Nebraska, and Louisiana. It is unclear whether the administration will now restart operations at “Alligator Alcatraz” in light of the Eleventh Circuit ruling.
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