Alligator Alcatraz
Barack ObamaFloridaIllegal ImmigrationPolitics

Obama-Appointed Judge Orders Shutdown of ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ Immigration Facility Within 60 Days

RNN Staff

A federal judge appointed by former President Barack Obama has ordered the closure of Florida’s Alligator Alcatraz detention facility, blocking the Trump administration and the state of Florida from housing any new detainees there, effective immediately.

U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams issued a temporary restraining order Thursday evening mandating the facility’s full shutdown within 60 days. The state has also been ordered to begin removing infrastructure and utilities, including generators, fuel systems, and sewage equipment.

Fox News National Correspondent Bill Melugin broke the news, writing, “BREAKING: Florida federal judge Kathleen Williams (Obama appointee) is ordering Florida to shut down Alligator Alcatraz within 60 days and is blocking the state & the Trump admin from bringing any new detainees into the facility from this point forward.”

Melugin further noted that the ruling does not conclude the case entirely. “This is a temporary restraining order (TRO), meaning the merits of the underlying case will continue to be litigated while Judge Williams orders Alligator Alcatraz to shut down,” he said.

The ruling has already sparked backlash from Florida officials. Jeremy Redfern, spokesperson for Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, blasted the decision, pointing out that another judge in the same district had declined to hear a related case due to improper venue.

“Just this week, a judge in the same district as Judge Williams refused to hear a case because the Southern District of Florida was the improper venue for suits about Alligator Alcatraz. Once again, she oversteps her authority, and we will appeal this unlawful decision,” Redfern said.

Governor Ron DeSantis, speaking to Fox News correspondent Danamarie McNicholl just moments after the ruling, confirmed that Florida would appeal. “We knew this judge was not giving us a fair shake. We totally expected an adverse ruling. We also knew we were going to immediately appeal,” he told her.

The Alligator Alcatraz facility has been a key element in Florida’s expanded detention operations, working in coordination with the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration and criminal alien detentions. The ruling now threatens to derail that effort — at least temporarily — as legal battles move forward.

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