A U.S. federal judge has ruled that Donald Trump’s migrant detention facility, nicknamed “Alligator Alcatraz,” must shut down due to severe environmental damage to the Florida Everglades.

Located near the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport in Ochopee, Florida, the detention center was built in the middle of protected wetlands and designed to hold up to 3,000 detainees. The project, a key part of Trump’s immigration crackdown, has faced lawsuits since its inception.

District Judge Kathleen Williams issued an 82-page ruling ordering:

The judge concluded that the detention center was causing irreparable harm to the Everglades ecosystem, which is home to endangered species and recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Environmental groups, including Friends of the Everglades, filed the lawsuit challenging the construction. They argued the project threatened decades of Everglades restoration efforts worth billions of taxpayer dollars.

Eve Samples, executive director of the group, called the ruling “a landmark victory for the Everglades” and a warning to political leaders who ignore environmental protection laws.

The state of Florida, which partnered with Trump on the facility, has already filed an appeal against the ruling. However, for now, the center’s operations are legally frozen.

Trump previously promoted “Alligator Alcatraz” as a model for future migrant detention centers, claiming the swamp’s alligators, crocodiles, and pythons would serve as a natural deterrent to escape attempts. During a July visit, he described it as ideal for holding “the most dangerous migrants.”

Experts warned the detention center could undermine decades of work to restore the Everglades, one of the most fragile ecosystems in the U.S. The ruling reinforces long-standing promises by Florida leaders and presidents to protect the wetlands.