A Miami federal judge has ordered a temporary halt to construction at the "Alligator Alcatraz" detention facility in Florida, Fox News has learned.
U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams said the facility, which is built in the middle of the Florida Everglades, can continue to hold migrant detainees, but cannot add any new infrastructure capacity. The ruling stops new construction, including filling, paving, installation of new infrastructure, and installation of new lighting, for a 14-day period while the parties involved in a lawsuit over the facility complete their hearing on a motion for a preliminary injunction.
Williams issued her ruling during a Thursday hearing where attorneys argued that the detention center violates environmental laws.
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"Today's ruling by an activist judge will have no impact on immigration enforcement in Florida," said Alex Lanfranconi, the communications director for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. "Alligator Alcatraz will remain operational, continuing to serve as a force multiplier to enhance deportation efforts."
The office of Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier vowed to appeal the ruling.
"Judge Williams' order is wrong, and we will fight it," Uthmeier's communications director, Jeremy Redfern, said in a statement to Fox News. "However, it does not shut down Alligator Alcatraz, which will continue to send illegal aliens back to where they came from."
Environmental groups - the Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity -- and a Native American tribe have asked Williams to issue a preliminary injunction to halt operations and further construction. A lawsuit said the project threatens environmentally sensitive wetlands that are home to protected plants and animals and violates the National Environmental Policy Act, which requires federal agencies to assess the environmental effects of major construction projects.
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"It's a relief that the court has stepped in to protect the Everglades' sensitive waters, starry skies and vulnerable creatures from further harm while we continue our case," Elise Bennett, Florida and Caribbean director and an attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "We're ready to press forward and put a stop to this despicable plan for good."
Paul Schwiep, an attorney for the environmental groups, asked Williams to issue a temporary restraining order to halt any new construction at the site.
Williams asked Florida attorney Jesse Panuccio if the state would agree to halt construction so that she wouldn't need to issue the restraining order. She pointed out that anything built at the site would likely remain there permanently, regardless of how the case was ultimately decided.
The 30-square-mile property will be home to 5,000 detainees and is guarded by alligators and pythons.
The lawsuit is one of two legal challenges against federal and state authorities. A second lawsuit brought by a civil rights group alleges that detainees are being deprived of their constitutional rights, such as being barred from meeting lawyers and being held without any charges.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
