DHS Slams 'Media Hoaxes', Says Alligator Alcatraz Remains Open 'Housing Worst of Worst Criminal Illegal Aliens'

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said Wednesday that the Alligator Alcatraz detention center in Florida remains fully operational despite what it described as "media hoaxes" and interference from "activist judges" seeking to shut the facility down.

Through a statement on its official website, DHS also released names and criminal histories of detainees held there, describing them as "some of the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens."

"Despite repeated hoaxes peddled by the media and activist judges, Alligator Alcatraz is still open and housing some of the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens, including murderers, pedophiles, weapons traffickers, and drug dealers, until they are swiftly removed from our country," said DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin in the statement.

McLaughlin also praised "innovative state partnerships" like Alligator Alcatraz, Louisiana Lock-up, Speedway Slammer, and Cornhusker Clink, calling them critical to "turbocharging our efforts to get criminal illegal aliens out of our country."

The statement follows ongoing litigation surrounding Alligator Alcatraz, which opened earlier this year on a remote airstrip in the Florida Everglades. Last month, a federal appellate court temporarily blocked U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams' injunction ordering Florida to begin dismantling parts of the facility and conduct an environmental impact study.

Last week, however, a federal appellate court panel in Atlanta voted 2-1 to put Williams' injunction on hold pending appeal, allowing the center to continue operating indefinitely. The three-judge panel said it was in the public interest to issue a stay and found that no federal dollars had yet been spent on construction or operations, meaning the project did not qualify as a "major federal action" requiring immediate review.

Republican Governor Ron DeSantis hailed the ruling, declaring on social media that "Alligator Alcatraz is in fact, like we've always said, open for business." He argued that claims of imminent shutdown were "false" and pledged that the mission of housing detainees would continue.

Environmental groups and the Miccosukee Tribe, who brought the case, told ABC News las week that the fight is far from over. "This ill-considered facility — which is causing harm to the Everglades — will ultimately be shut down," said Eve Samples, executive director of Friends of the Everglades. Elise Bennett of the Center for Biological Diversity called the ruling "a heartbreaking blow" but stressed that litigation will continue.