Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis gleefully announced on Thursday that an appeals court blocked an Obama-appointed judge’s ruling which allowed for Alligator Alcatraz to resume its operations.
An appeals court blocked U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams’ order from Aug. 7 which issued a temporary restraining order on any further construction of the detention facility, which earned the name “Alligator Alcatraz,” due to environmental concerns. DeSantis celebrated the appeals court’s decision against the “leftist” judge, who was appointed by former President Barack Obama, who attempted to interfere with Florida’s “immigration enforcement.”
“The mission continues on immigration enforcement. The media was giddy that somehow Alligator Alcatraz was ‘shutting down.’ 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,” DeSantis said. “But they ran with the narrative because 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. 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.”
WATCH:
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
Williams’ ruling prompted illegal immigrants detained at the center to be transferred to other facilities. She issued another indefinite halt on further construction and prohibited any new detainees from being housed at the facility.
The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in Florida and the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) favor, which placed a stay on William’s ruling.
“After careful consideration, we grant the defendants’ motions and we stay the preliminary injunction and the underlying case itself pending appeal,” the appellate judges said.
Alligator Alcatraz sits on an abandoned airfield in the middle of the Florida Everglades, where it is deemed nearly impossible for detainees to escape. Republican Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier proposed the idea for the detention facility in June, which quickly gained support from President Donald Trump’s administration.
All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
DONATE TO BIZPAC REVIEW
Please help us! If you are fed up with letting radical big tech execs, phony fact-checkers, tyrannical liberals and a lying mainstream media have unprecedented power over your news please consider making a donation to BPR to help us fight them. Now is the time. Truth has never been more critical!
- Jeanine Pirro details how DC Police allegedly cooked the books on crime data - December 17, 2025
- CNN’s Harry Enten says Democrats could go up in smoke if Trump reclassifies marijuana - December 17, 2025
- JD Vance turns tables on reporter asking about Susie Wiles’ alleged accusation that he’s a ‘conspiracy theorist’ - December 16, 2025
Comment
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.
BPR INSIDER COMMENTS
Scroll down for non-member comments or join our insider conversations by becoming a member. We'd love to have you!
