DOJ urges judge to reject lawsuit over 'Alligator Alcatraz'
Share this @internewscast.com

President Donald Trump visits “Alligator Alcatraz,” a new migrant detention facility at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition complex, Tuesday, July 1, 2025, in Ochopee, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci).

The administration of Donald Trump issued a response in federal court on Thursday following a lawsuit from two environmental nonprofit organizations aiming to halt the creation of a temporary detention center on an airstrip within the Big Cypress National Preserve in the Everglades. This facility, known as “Alligator Alcatraz,” has garnered attention from President Trump, his supporters in Florida, and the Department of Justice.

In a legal document, attorneys from the DOJ’s Natural Resources Section presented several arguments against the plaintiffs, Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity. They asserted that the groups are unlikely to secure the preliminary injunction and temporary restraining order at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) isn’t financing the facility—Florida is. Moreover, there hasn’t been any “final agency action” from DHS, and the lawsuit hinges on an overly “speculative and conclusory” premise of potential “irreparable harm” to the environment and those interested in wildlife conservation.

The case was brought on an expedited basis last Friday against Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, acting ICE Director Toddy Lyons, Miami-Dade County and Kevin Guthrie, the executive director of Florida’s Division of Emergency Management.

In it, the plaintiffs argued that the National Environmental Policy Act demands that federal agencies, such as DHS or ICE, undertaking a “major federal action” must put together an “Environmental Impact Statement” on the effects of the project on the environment. The absence of such an assessment and moving forward with construction “without public notice or comment,” the complaint continued, “constitutes final agency action” that is “subject to judicial review” under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA).

The groups asserted that the Miami County-owned Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport, within Big Cypress National Preserve and where “Alligator Alcatraz” is located, is not only a threat to the environment but also represents a cognizable legal injury to their members, who enjoy taking in the wildlife and “night skies” in the area and who have interest in preserving endangered species and more.

“Friends of the Everglades’ and the Center’s members are being injured by Defendants’ unlawful actions, which threaten the integrity of Big Cypress National Preserve’s waters and pristine night skies, the wellbeing of the plants and wildlife living there, and thus the Plaintiffs’ interests in them,” the filing said. “Friends and the Center are also injured by being deprived of critical information and a public process to analyze and address significant environmental impacts associated with the detention center.”

In a statement on the suit, Friends of the Everglades executive director Eve Samples said the “Alligator Alcatraz” site is “more than 96% wetlands, surrounded by Big Cypress National Preserve, and is habitat for the endangered Florida panther and other iconic species.”

“This scheme is not only cruel, it threatens the Everglades ecosystem that state and federal taxpayers have spent billions to protect,” said Samples. “Friends of the Everglades was founded by Marjory Stoneman Douglas in 1969 to stop harmful development at this very location. Fifty-six years later, the threat has returned — and it poses another existential threat to the Everglades.”

Love true crime? Sign up for our newsletter, The Law&Crime Docket, to get the latest real-life crime stories delivered right to your inbox.

In a response on Thursday, the DOJ stated that the construction of “Alligator Alcatraz” is being paid for by Florida, so there isn’t any “final agency action” and no applicability of the APA.

“Neither ICE nor FEMA has implemented, directed, or controlled the construction work at the temporary detention center,” the DOJ said. “Plaintiffs fail to identify any federal funding for the facility that could serve as a final agency action. Neither ICE nor FEMA has sent any funds to Florida in connection with the temporary detention center.”

Paragraphs later, the DOJ emphasized that the “federal government has not paid any money for the facility.”

Even in the event of future detainment decisions, those too would be Florida’s, so the “decision to detain aliens at the temporary detention center is not a federal final agency action,” the government said.

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like

Judge Says New Trump Travel Ban Strongly Resembles Previous Version

President Donald Trump, pictured on the right, talks with reporters while Secretary…

“Teen Girl’s Body Discovered Under California Bridge: Boyfriend Arrested”

Police detained a California man Sunday, wanted in connection with the disappearance…

Judge Cannon Encouraged to Decide on Ongoing Mar-a-Lago Matter

Left: FILE – Special counsel Jack Smith addresses the press regarding an…

“Father Takes Action: Kills Newly-Released Sex Offender to Protect Young Relative”

An Indiana resident faces murder charges following the fatal shooting of a…

Teen Facing Adult Charges for Attempted Murder After Alleged Assault on Woman at Reserve at Kanapaha

Staff report GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A 17-year-old named Archie Sundiata Townsend, Jr.…

Lawyers for Mike Lindell face penalties for submitting a document created by artificial intelligence

Main: Mike Lindell gestures with a thumbs up while attending a rally…

What We Know About Erin Patterson So Far

She is the woman at the centre of the trial that made…
Musician R. Kelly is currently serving a 30-year prison term following his…

Man Fatally Shoots Woman in Head After She Declines His Romantic Pursuits

A Minnesota man was charged on Monday with killing a woman in…

Attorney Raises Serious Questions About Legality of Raid in Alan Jones Sexual Abuse Case

Alan Jones has “grave concerns” about the legality of a police raid…

Police Discover 4-Year-Old Boy Sitting in Dog Crate During Family Dinner

Left: Patricia L. Siercks. Right: Joshua J. Gusman (Henry County Jail). In…

$75k Worth of Jewelry and Late Mother’s War Medals Stolen in Neighboring Burglary

War medals, a $25,000 engagement ring, and $50,000 worth of jewellery were…