A coalition of immigration rights advocates, environmental organizations, public lands defenders, and members of the Miccosukee Tribe gathered in Ochopee, Florida, to demand environmental cleanup after the closure of the ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ immigration detention center.

Environmental Concerns

The facility, which was established as a central hub for regional immigration enforcement, has been criticized for its impact on the surrounding ecosystem. The 20-acre site still features temporary housing tents, security fencing, heavy construction equipment, large diesel generators, and high-intensity lighting systems, posing an active threat to the surrounding ecosystem.

Eve Samples, executive director of Friends of the Everglades, stated that the remaining structures continue to pose a threat to the ecosystem and demanded immediate intervention from state leadership. ‘The lights are still on. The tents are still up. And the public is still in the dark about this massively expensive failure of public policy,’ Samples said.

Legal Battle

The coalition’s ongoing legal fight spans several distinct lawsuits targeting both environmental and transparency violations. A lawsuit filed in June 2025 by Earthjustice and Coffey Burlington alleges that the Trump and DeSantis administrations bypassed required environmental reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The Miccosukee Tribe joined the suit to protect tribal rights.

The litigation has expanded significantly over the past year, with additional lawsuits filed alleging Clean Air Act violations and demanding full transparency about the camp’s operation. The DeSantis administration continues to defend the operation, maintaining that the facility successfully served its intended law-enforcement purpose.

Original reporting: Tampa Free Press — read the source article.