Appeals Court Keeps Florida Everglades Detention Center Open

A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that an immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades, known as Alligator Alcatraz, can remain open, rejecting arguments that it must undergo a federal environmental review before operations continue.

The decision by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit upheld a stay on a preliminary injunction issued last August by U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams in Miami. Williams had ordered the Florida Division of Emergency Management to begin winding down the facility and halt new detainee admissions, citing violations of the National Environmental Policy Act. That law requires federal agencies to assess potential environmental impacts for major actions under their control. The appeals court paused Williams's order just days after it was issued, allowing operations to proceed during litigation. A hearing took place earlier this month in Miami before the panel's ruling.

In a 2-1 decision, the majority concluded that the facility does not yet qualify as a federal action subject to the environmental review. The judges noted that Florida officials constructed and operate the site on state-controlled land,...