Judge Halts Construction on Florida Everglades Detention Center

What happened: A federal judge ordered the Trump administration and the state of Florida to stop further construction of the massive detention center in the Florida Everglades.

Why it matters: Florida and the Trump administration have been ramming through the construction of an immigration detention facility within the Florida Everglades, the largest mangrove ecosystem in the Western Hemisphere.

In June, Friends of the Everglades, represented by Earthjustice, and Center for Biological Diversity sued the administration and the Florida Division of Emergency Management for failing to undertake any environmental review for the facility. The Miccosukee Tribe subsequently joined the case. The detention center now holds more than a thousand people who have been rounded up by state or federal officials in the push for mass deportation and could be expanded to hold thousands more.

Earthjustice has defended this renowned wetland ecosystem, and its endangered inhabitants, for decades. Now, we’re determined to use the power of law to protect the Everglades from this cruel facility.

MIAMI, FL – AUG 12: The managing attorney for the Florida office of Earthjustice, Tania Galloni (L) and the Executive Director of Friends of the Everglades, Eve Samples (R) outside the Wilkie D. Ferguson, Jr. U.S. Courthouse on August 12, 2025 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Saul Martinez)

How we got here

• The detention center: In June, DeSantis announced a partnership with federal agencies to build an immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades as part of the Trump administration’s mass deportation plan. The facility was hastily put up in just eight days.
• This is illegal: The Trump and DeSantis’ administrations bypassed multiple federal laws to rush the facility’s construction, including a required environmental review and opportunity for public input.
• A temporary win:Last week, a federal judge sided with Earthjustice, environmental groups, and the Miccosukee Tribe, ordering a 14-day halt of further construction while the judge considers additional preliminary relief.

The Everglades are the lifeblood of Florida

• A shelter for wildlife: The detention center is surrounded on all sides by Big Cypress National Preserve, a federally protected, ecologically sensitive area that is a haven to Florida’s endangered species, including the Florida panther, wood stork, and bonneted bat. Florida panthers have been documented on the very site where the detention center now sits.
• The facility’s operations bring extreme disruptions to Big Cypress, including construction fill material, roads, vehicles near wildlife habitats, and high-intensity floodlights that can be seen 15 miles away. Floodlights are especially damaging as the preserve is an internationally recognized Dark Sky Park, with one of the darkest night skies in the eastern United States.

What happens now and what you can do

• Court hearings have begun: This week, both sides presented oral arguments at a hearing for a preliminary injunction. The judge said she would rule by August 21. In the meantime, no new construction can take place.
• Earthjustice is committed to fighting for this world-renowned ecosystem. Florida’s Everglades are no place for a cruel detention center. Join us and tell the Trump administration that they are not above the law.