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Judge seeks settlement in ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ civil rights lawsuit

Attorneys seek a preliminary injunction to ease lawyer access amid delays and transfer issues at the Everglades detention center, prompting a federal judge to schedule settlement talks.

  • On Monday, U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell set a settlement conference for Dec. 16 in her Fort Myers courtroom, ordering civil-rights attorneys and lawyers for the U.S. government and the State of Florida to meet.
  • Barriers requiring three-day appointment windows and frequent transfers prompted calls for injunctive relief as attorneys seek a preliminary injunction to ease access for detainees' attorneys.
  • Built last summer at a remote Everglades airstrip, the center was constructed by the administration of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, with federal officials approving $608 million reimbursement to Florida.
  • The appellate stay and parallel lawsuits together determine the center's near-term status, with a federal appellate court panel in September pausing a lower court injunction that sought to wind down operations by October.
  • National attention and a challenge to state authority frame the settlement talks as legally and politically consequential, as President Donald Trump toured the facility in July and a third lawsuit argues Florida agencies and private contractors lack authority.
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FORT MYERS, Florida (AP) — A federal judge in Florida wants the legal team representing civil rights groups and federal and Florida state attorneys to meet next month to reach an agreement in a lawsuit over whether immigrants detained at a prison known as the “Alcatraz of the Alligators” receive adequate access to legal representation. During a status hearing Monday, Judge Sheri Polster Chappell scheduled a conference for December 16 and 17 in h…

·Allentown, United States
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Center

FORT MYERS, Florida (AP) — A federal judge in Florida wants the legal team representing civil rights groups and federal and Florida state attorneys to meet next month to reach an agreement in a lawsuit over whether immigrants detained at a prison known as the “Alcatraz of the Alligators” receive adequate access to legal representation. During a status hearing Monday, Judge Sheri Polster Chappell scheduled a conference for December 16 and 17 in h…

·United States
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Lean Right

FORT MYERS, Florida (AP) — A federal judge in Florida wants the legal team representing civil rights groups and federal and Florida state attorneys to meet next month to reach an agreement in a lawsuit over whether immigrants detained at a prison known as the “Alcatraz of the Alligators” receive adequate access to legal representation. During a status hearing Monday, Judge Sheri Polster Chappell scheduled a conference for December 16 and 17 in h…

·Boston, United States
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Center

FORT MYERS, Florida (AP) — A federal judge in Florida wants the legal team representing civil rights groups and federal and Florida state attorneys to meet next month to reach an agreement in a lawsuit over whether immigrants detained at a prison known as the “Alcatraz of the Alligators” receive adequate access to legal representation. During a status hearing Monday, Judge Sheri Polster Chappell scheduled a conference for December 16 and 17 in h…

·Chicago, United States
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U.S. News broke the news in New York, United States on Monday, November 24, 2025.
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