11th Circuit grants stay, keeps Alligator Alcatraz open

A federal appeals court on Thursday temporarily blocked a lower court order that had required Florida and federal officials to wind down and dismantle a controversial migrant detention site known as Alligator Alcatraz in the Florida Everglades, allowing the facility to remain in operation while the legal fight continues. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted a stay by a 2-to-1 vote, reversing the Miami district judge’s preliminary injunction that had ordered the removal of generators, sewage and other infrastructure within 60 days and barred new detainees from being brought to the remote compound.

The detention center was assembled in early July on an abandoned airstrip amid wetlands in Dade and Collier counties and was built in roughly eight days. It was promoted by Florida officials as a secure, deterrent location to assist federal immigration enforcement, and drew national attention after President Donald Trump visited the site. Critics and detained migrants have complained about overcrowded cages, flooding, maggot-infested food, pervasive insects and malfunctioning air conditioning, and civil rights groups filed lawsuits alleging detainees were held without access...