A federal judge on Thursday ordered an indefinite halt to new construction at an immigration detention facility that Florida officials have dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz," and barred any new detainees from being brought to the site, siding with environmental groups who said the facility is endangering the Everglades and its wildlife.

The decision is a setback for Florida's Republican-led state government and its aggressive efforts to aid the Trump administration's hardline immigration agenda, including by deputizing thousands of state police as federal immigration officers.

The order by U.S. District Court Judge Kathleen Williams did not require Florida officials to completely cease operations at Alligator Alcatraz, allowing the state to continue using existing structures there to deta

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