Groups file amended lawsuit challenging Everglades Detention Center

Miami, FL —

Conservation groups filed an updated lawsuit today as part of the ongoing legal challenge over the Everglades detention center known as “Alligator Alcatraz” in the heart of Big Cypress National Preserve.

The amended lawsuit shows that state and federal officials withheld crucial information from a federal appeals court proving that Florida applied for federal funding for the detention center and that the project should have undergone federal environmental reviews. The detention center was built to hold people apprehended by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Today’s filing comes ahead of a court hearing scheduled for 11 a.m. Friday, Aug. 14, before U.S. District Court Judge Kathleen Williams. A press conference will be held following the hearing at the Wilkie D. Ferguson, Jr. U.S. Courthouse in downtown Miami.

“Our government failed the Everglades, failed taxpayers and failed to comply with environmental laws when they built this ICE detention center in the middle of Big Cypress National Preserve. They left a mess behind when they hurried out of Alligator Alcatraz in June, and we’re advancing our lawsuit to hold them accountable for fixing the damage and owning up to the truth,” said Eve Samples, executive director of Friends of the Everglades.

The now-closed Everglades Detention Center had no environmental review before construction in June 2025. The facility was built and operated in the heart of Big Cypress National Preserve, threatening the sensitive Everglades ecosystem that surrounds it with at least 20 acres of new pavement, high-intensity lighting and miles of fencing that threaten protected species, including Florida panthers.

“The court of appeals said more than once that the Florida Department of Emergency Management had not applied for federal funding,” said Paul J. Schwiep of Coffey Burlington and counsel for Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity. “We now know this was wrong.”

At the time, state and federal officials claimed the government didn’t need to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act, which requires review of environmental harms before major federal projects are approved, since it was not a federally funded facility. Today’s amended complaint provides detailed evidence to the contrary.

The amended legal action also includes new claims alleging federal officials violated the Endangered Species Act.

“We look forward to making our case in court,” said Tania Galloni, Managing Attorney for Earthjustice’s Florida office. “The National Environmental Policy Act is there for a reason – so that ecosystems like the Everglades aren’t recklessly harmed.”

“This shameful stunt continues to pollute the waters where endangered Everglade snail kites hunt and force endangered panthers out of a large swath of the precious little habitat they have left,” said Elise Bennett, Florida and Caribbean director and an attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity. “A lawful review under the Endangered Species Act would prevent these kinds of harms and provide measures to repair them. It would give the Everglades’ most vulnerable creatures a fighting chance.”

Friends of the Everglades, represented by Earthjustice and Coffey Burlington attorneys Paul Schwiep and Scott Hiaasen, along with the Center for Biological Diversity, first sued in June 2025. The Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida joined the lawsuit.

On Aug. 21, 2025, two months after the detention center opened, Judge Williams ruled that state and federal agencies had ignored environmental review requirements and ordered further operation stopped as the lawsuit continued. State officials then appealed to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta.

Today’s amended complaint shows that the state withheld a federal grant application that could have played a critical role in a Sept. 4 appeals court ruling. The split appeals court panel said then it was “undisputed” that the state had not applied for federal funding and it blocked the earlier ruling to shut the facility down. Today’s complaint shows the appeals court was using incorrect information in its ruling.

Friends of the Everglades obtained documents in a public records lawsuit showing that the Florida Division of Emergency Management prepared an initial federal funding application on June 24, 2025, which was sent to FEMA no later than July 4, 2025. The state ultimately received millions from the federal government for funding the detention center.

Federally funded activities continue to harm endangered and threatened species and their habitat within Big Cypress. Despite significant harm to Florida panthers, Florida bonneted bats, rare shrubs called Everglades bullies and more, federal officials failed to complete required Endangered Species Act consultations to ensure the project would not jeopardize these species’ survival or destroy critical habitat needed for their recovery.

While the detention center is closed for now, neither state nor federal officials have shown that the closure is permanent. At a June 25 press conference, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said that if the Department of Homeland Security asked Florida to receive another 1,000 detainees, the state could resume detention operations there.

Fencing surrounding the site remains, including razor-wire and barbed-wire fencing, and electrical equipment anchored to cement pads for automatic gates. Heavy machinery and noise also continue to pose threats to Florida panthers by causing them to avoid essential primary zone and breeding habitat that they previously used and which is needed for their survival and recovery.

For nearly a year, constant industrial lighting illuminated the previously dark night sky and could be seen more than 15 miles away. These disruptive activities also harm other federally protected species, including endangered Florida bonneted bats that need to feed at night.