Appeals Court Gives President Trump HUGE WIN On Alligator Alcatraz

In a massive victory for immigration enforcement, a federal appeals court has just ruled that “Alligator Alcatraz” in Florida can stay open!

In a 2-1 ruling, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a lower-court order that would have forced the facility to gradually shut down operations.

Obama-appointed Judge Kathleen Williams was the one who issued the prior ruling:

BIG WIN

The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals just REVERSED the ruling by Obama-appointed US District Judge Kathleen Williams, which ordered Alligator Alcatraz to halt further expansion and roll back operations.

Woke judge defeated! https://t.co/1mQPe2szyj

— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) April 22, 2026

The original case against “Alligator Alcatraz” was brought by environmental groups who argued that the facility endangered the Florida Everglades ecosystem.

However, the appeals court ruled that this argument was invalid because the facility is owned by the state of Florida; therefore, it does not have to comply with federal environmental laws.

Fox News reported:

In a 2-1 decision, the majority on the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals found the state-run facility was not under federal control and was not subject to federal law requiring an environmental impact review.

“Florida, not federal, officials constructed the facility,” the majority wrote. “They control the land and ‘entirely’ built the facility at state expense.”

The legal dispute centers in part on the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), a federal law that requires agencies to assess environmental impacts before major actions.

The court wrote that Florida had received no federal reimbursement when U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams’ preliminary injunction ordering a gradual winding down of operations was issued last year. Williams had found that a federal reimbursement plan had effectively already been made.

The appeals court paused Williams’ order just days after it was handed down in August, pending a hearing, which was held earlier this month.

In a dissent to the appeals court’s latest ruling, Judge Nancy Abudu wrote that immigration is a federal responsibility and that the federal government cannot relinquish its authority just because Florida officials built an immigration detention center.

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“The facility would not, and could not, have been built and used as an immigration detention center without the federal defendants’ request,” Abudu said. “The evidence of federal control perhaps is most apparent when we acknowledge that immigration remains uniquely and exclusively within the federal government’s domain.”

This local news clip dove deeper into the ruling:

“Alligator Alcatraz” to remain open in Florida!

An appeals court decided Tuesday, upholding its earlier decision to block a judge’s order for the facility to wind down operations because it didn’t comply with federal environmental law:

“A majority of the 3-judge appeals court… pic.twitter.com/54mKQFJwE9

— Paul A. Szypula 🇺🇸 (@Bubblebathgirl) April 22, 2026

This is all-around great news for our country.

Now, it’s time to ramp up deportations in Florida!