Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is promising to fight back after a federal judge blocked the expansion of Florida’s Everglades detention facility known as “Alligator Alcatraz.”
On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams issued a preliminary injunction halting construction at the site and barred the facility from accepting new detainees.
The ruling was cheered by environmentalists and the Miccosukee Tribe, who sued to stop the expansion, citing conservation promises made decades ago.
DeSantis: “We expected this”
DeSantis blasted the ruling in an interview with Fox News, calling it an obvious political hit.
“We totally expected an adverse ruling. And we also knew we were going to immediately appeal and get that decision stayed. So we will ultimately be successful in this. It’s not going to stop our resolve,” DeSantis said.
The governor vowed deportations would continue, saying Florida is fully committed to supporting President Trump’s immigration crackdown.
“We’re going to continue to do what we need to do to help the Trump administration remove illegal aliens from our country. You know, that’s the mandate that they have,” he added.
DHS: “Activist judge”
The Department of Homeland Security also ripped the order.
Spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said the ruling was “another attempt to prevent the President from fulfilling the American people’s mandate to remove the worst of the worst including gang members, murderers, pedophiles, terrorists, and rapists from our country.”
She added that the land in question had already been developed for over a decade, dismissing the judge’s reasoning.
What’s next?
The Florida Division of Emergency Management, which oversees the camp’s operations, has already filed an intent to appeal. The case will head to the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals.
Williams, a Democrat-appointed judge, defended her ruling by citing long-standing pledges to protect the Everglades.
But DeSantis brushed it off, telling supporters that the court fight won’t derail Florida’s immigration enforcement.
“We anticipated this, but I don’t think it’s going to be insurmountable in the end,” he said.
