The Center for Biological Diversity filed suit against Florida's Division of Emergency Management today over air pollution from a sprawling immigrant detention facility in Big Cypress National Preserve. The facility, operational since June 2025, relies on diesel generators and other equipment that emit substantial unpermitted pollution into the Everglades ecosystem.
The lawsuit targets what environmental advocates call "Alligator Alcatraz," a massive detention complex operated under Governor Ron DeSantis's immigration enforcement agenda. The facility has released dangerous air pollutants without proper permits or environmental oversight, the Center alleges.
The case centers on Clean Air Act violations. The detention facility's diesel generators and associated equipment generate significant emissions in an area already protected as a national preserve and critical wetland habitat. The Center argues Florida regulators failed to enforce air quality standards or require the facility to obtain necessary pollution permits before operations began.
Big Cypress National Preserve encompasses 729,000 acres of sensitive wetland habitat essential to regional water quality and wildlife survival. The Everglades system depends on precise environmental conditions that large-scale industrial operations threaten.
DeSantis has championed aggressive immigration enforcement policies, positioning Florida as a leader in detention and removal operations. The detention facility represents a major expansion of state-led immigration enforcement capacity. Environmental compliance appears to have taken secondary priority during the facility's rapid deployment.
The Center for Biological Diversity challenges this approach, arguing that Governor DeSantis cannot ignore federal environmental law to advance immigration policy. The lawsuit demands the state halt unpermitted emissions and require the facility to obtain proper air quality permits before continuing operations.
The case tests whether federal environmental protections apply equally to state-run immigration facilities. If successful, the lawsuit could force costly operational changes or facility modifications. The outcome also signals whether federal courts will constrain state immigration enforcement when it conflicts with Clean Air Act requirements.