Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared victory Thursday after a federal appeals court blocked an Obama-appointed judge’s order that sought to shut down “Alligator Alcatraz,” a state-run immigration detention facility in the Everglades.
The decision keeps the center open, dealing a major blow to critics who tried to halt its operations over environmental concerns.
The Republican lawmaker slammed what he described as political interference in Florida’s immigration enforcement.
DeSantis said the media rushed to celebrate the closure of the detention site but were wrong to believe the state would fold under pressure.
“The mission continues on immigration enforcement. The media was giddy that somehow Alligator Alcatraz was ‘shutting down,’” DeSantis said.
“Now we told them that that wasn’t true, there had been illegal aliens continuing to be there and removed and returned to their home country.”
The mission continues at Alligator Alcatraz.
The media was wrong.
The leftist judge has been overturned.
Florida will keep leading the way. pic.twitter.com/Ik2fJnqXIP
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) September 4, 2025
He blasted Judge Kathleen Williams, an Obama appointee, for blocking the center based on an environmental impact argument.
“Some leftist judge ruled implausibly that somehow Florida wasn’t allowed to use our own property to help the federal government in this important mission because they didn’t do an environmental impact statement,” he continued.
“Well, we said we would fight that, and we said the mission would continue, and I’m pleased to say that the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals has just stayed that ruling and stayed the case. So Alligator Alcatraz is, in fact, like we always said, open for business.”
The case has drawn national attention since Williams issued a temporary restraining order on Aug. 7, halting further construction at the detention facility and requiring its dismantling within 60 days.
Her ruling also blocked new detainees from being held there, forcing transfers to other facilities.
But the appeals court reversed course, voting 2-1 to let the center continue operating.
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Environmental activists had claimed that the detention complex required federal environmental reviews because of its Everglades location.
But Alligator Alcatraz is run solely by the state of Florida without federal funding or reimbursements.
Judge Barbara Lagoa, writing for the majority, questioned how the lower court justified its ruling.
“It is entirely unclear to us, moreover, how the district court concluded that it could order the proactive dismantling of the Facility by way of a mandatory preliminary injunction,” Lagoa wrote.
“It is wholly unreasonable to conclude from the naked assurances of politicians and lawyers that the Facility is federally funded when not only is the record devoid of credible evidence that a legally binding payment decision has been made, but the record undisputedly contradicts that finding.”
The 11th Circuit sided with Florida and the Department of Homeland Security, saying the district court’s order could not stand.
“After careful consideration, we grant the defendants’ motions and we stay the preliminary injunction and the underlying case itself pending appeal,” the judges declared.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier celebrated the decision as a victory for the state’s hardline immigration stance.
“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,” Uthmeier wrote in a social media post.
He said that the ruling was “a win for Florida and President Trump’s agenda!”
While the detention center fight dominated headlines, Florida officials also announced another sweeping move this week: plans to make the Sunshine State the first in the nation without school vaccine mandates.
Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo denounced the requirements, comparing them to slavery.
“Every last one of them is wrong and drips with disdain and slavery,” Ladapo said.
🚨 MAJOR BREAKING: The Surgeon General of Florida just announced ALL VACCINE MANDATES IN FLORIDA will be ENDED, and the room erupted.
All. Not just COVID. ALL.
JOSEPH LADAPO: "Every last one is wrong and DRIPS with disdain and slavery! Who am I, or anyone else, to tell YOU what… pic.twitter.com/Kah5LscGTo
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) September 3, 2025
“Who am I to tell you what your child should put in their body? I don’t have that right. Your body is a gift from God.”
According to Ladapo, the department can remove certain vaccine rules immediately, while state lawmakers would need to take legislative action to wipe out the rest.
School systems in Florida currently require immunizations for polio, measles, rubella, mumps, pertussis, tetanus, and other infectious diseases.
The announcement was paired with the launch of a new “Make America Healthy Again” commission led by First Lady Casey DeSantis.
“I think that this is something that has great potential,” Gov. DeSantis said. “We’ve already done a lot. I don’t think there’s any state that has done even close to what we’ve done.”
Critics, however, warned of serious risks. Former Biden COVID adviser Michael Osterholm told CNN’s Anderson Cooper that Florida would become a “hotbed of transmission” without vaccine safeguards.
Infectious disease expert Michael Osterholm warns about the next major pandemic he calls "The Big One" and lays out the steps for how we can mitigate the next crisis. pic.twitter.com/8mbRnOSYVN
— Anderson Cooper 360° (@AC360) September 4, 2025
“I would have to tell you, as a parent or a grandparent, I wouldn’t want my kids to go into Florida in the years ahead, to go to Walt Disney World, or any place like that, because Florida’s going to become a hotbed of transmission by eliminating this particular mandate,” Osterholm said.
