A federal judge in Miami has dismissed part of a lawsuit brought by immigrant advocates challenging detainees’ access to legal process at “Alligator Alcatraz,” handing state and federal officials a partial win aligned with President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda.
Why It Matters
The ruling marks a partial victory for Trump and Florida officials defending the South Detention Facility, nicknamed “Alligator Alcatraz,” in the Florida Everglades, but it leaves unresolved questions about detainees’ rights and legal access. By dismissing one constitutional claim while transferring the rest of the case to another court, Judge Rodolfo Ruiz underscored the facility’s contested role in the president’s immigration agenda and set the stage for continued litigation over whether detainees face unconstitutional barriers to attorney access.
What To Know
In a 47-page ruling issued Monday night, U.S. District Judge Rodolfo Ruiz dismissed a claim that detainees at the facility were denied access to immigration courts, finding it moot after the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) designated the Krome North Processing Center near Miami as the immigration court with jurisdiction over detainees’ cases on Saturday.
“Several developments have occurred since Plaintiffs filed this case,” Ruiz wrote. “First, many of the Detained Plaintiffs have been transferred out of Alligator Alcatraz. Second, many of the Detained Plaintiffs (including those who have since been transferred out of Alligator Alcatraz) have received access to counsel, and all the Attorney Plaintiffs have received access to Alligator Alcatraz detainees.”
Ruiz, a Trump nominee to the bench, granted the state defendants’ motion to transfer for improper venue from the Southern District of Florida to the Middle District, where the facility is located. The case will now proceed there on the remaining claims alleging violations of detainees’ First Amendment rights to communicate with counsel.
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Lawsuit Background
Filed July 16, the lawsuit alleges that detainees held at the facility were deprived of timely and confidential access to lawyers and left unable to file petitions in immigration court. Civil rights attorneys said detainees had difficulty contacting their lawyers, sometimes waiting weeks for meetings or phone calls; they alleged that one person was deported without being able to reach counsel and that a mentally disabled man was encouraged to sign a voluntary departure form without an attorney present.
Plaintiffs also argued they could not petition an immigration court because the government had not specified which court had jurisdiction over the facility. That changed on Saturday, when EOIR publicly designated Krome as the court with jurisdiction, an action Ruiz said resolved one of the plaintiffs’ central claims.
State and Federal Positions
Lawyers for Florida and for the Trump administration argued the suit was filed in the wrong venue because the facility sits on an airstrip in Collier County (Middle District of Florida). They also noted that many detainees had been transferred and had received attorney access by the time of the ruling.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has defended the detention center as an essential part of Trump’s immigration enforcement efforts. Built on an isolated airstrip surrounded by swampland, the facility has an estimated annual cost of $450 million and was intended to serve as both a secure holding site and a deterrent. Supporters liken its remote setting to Alcatraz Island, the source of its nickname.
What People Are Saying
From Judge Rodolfo Ruiz’s order: “This is a classic case of mootness. The Bond Plaintiffs have therefore received all the relief they seek. The Court can do no more.”
Eunice Cho, lead attorney for the ACLU representing the plaintiffs: It should not take a lawsuit to force the government to abide by the law and the Constitution.”
The ACLU maintains that detainees still face obstacles to counsel, including a lack of private communications and delays in arranging visits.
What Happens Next
The dismissal of the Fifth Amendment claim represents a partial win for state and federal officials defending the facility and is aligned with Trump’s agenda. The case now moves to the Middle District of Florida, where judges will weigh the remaining First Amendment claims about alleged barriers to legal access. Civil rights groups may seek injunctive relief to expand attorney contact, while state and federal officials are expected to argue that access has improved.
As Ruiz noted, the case has had “a tortured procedural history,” and further litigation over “Alligator Alcatraz” is expected in the months ahead.
