An environmental organization pushing to shut down the controversial immigration detention facility known as “Alligator Alcatraz” says a recent federal appeals court decision will not deter its efforts.
Friends of the Everglades, one of the groups leading the legal challenge, argues the facility is harming the Everglades ecosystem and insists the fight is far from over.
“We’re confident that Alligator Alcatraz will be shut down. We are committed to making that happen sooner than later,” said Eve Samples, executive director of the group.
Samples was responding to a ruling issued this week by a federal appeals court in Miami. The court found that environmental advocacy groups—including Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity—failed to prove the detention center is under federal control, a key argument in their push to require a federal environmental review.
The decision relied largely on evidence presented during hearings last summer. At that time, the facility had already been restricted from expanding or accepting additional detainees, a measure put in place in August 2025. The State of Florida later appealed that restriction.
Despite the setback, Samples says new information has emerged that could strengthen their case moving forward.
“We now have a lot more evidence about the federal government’s commitment to fund Alligator Alcatraz,” she said. “We now know that a $608 million FEMA grant was approved, so there’s more evidence that the site is under federal control”.
According to the group, public records obtained through litigation show Florida initially applied for a $1.4 billion federal grant tied to the project, with the Federal Emergency Management Agency ultimately approving $608 million.
While the legal battle continues, former detainees and their families are also reacting to the court’s decision. Maikel Rojas, a Cuban national who was recently released after spending nearly five months inside the facility, said he hopes authorities will eventually shut it down.
“May God guide those people so they can close that place,” Rojas said in Spanish.
His wife, Roxana Rojas, said the ruling is difficult to accept, especially for families with loved ones still detained there.
“I feel bad about this decision because there are more people inside of Alligator Alcatraz,” she said. “I know how it feels to have family there”.
CBS News Miami reached out to the Florida Division of Emergency Management, the state agency overseeing the facility, for comment on the ruling and funding details, but has not received a response.
