Judge rules 'Alligator Alcatraz' can stay open for now, but no further detainees or construction are allowed

A federal judge in Miami ruled Thursday that "Alligator Alcatraz," the contested migrant detention facility in the Florida Everglades, can remain operational for now, but it cannot be expanded and no additional detainees can be brought in.

MIAMI — A federal judge in Miami ruled Thursday that "Alligator Alcatraz," the contested migrant detention facility in the Florida Everglades, can remain operational for now but that it cannot be expanded and no additional detainees can be brought in.

U.S. District Judge Kathleen M. Williams entered a preliminary injunction to prevent the installation of any additional industrial-style lighting and any site expansion. Her ruling further prevents “bringing any additional persons ... who were not already being detained at the site at the time of this order.”

The ruling was filed late Thursday, allowing the injunction that was requested over National Environmental Policy Act violations.

Within 60 days, “and once the population attrition allows for safe implementation of this Order,” the facility must also remove “all generators, gas, sewage, and other waste and waste receptacles that were installed to support this project,” the 82-page ruling said.

It must also remove additional lighting that was installed for the detention facility. Light pollution was a hot topic during the hearings this month.