US district judge Kathleen Williams issued an 82-page ruling banning new detainees from being moved to the site and giving the state 60 days to transfer existing migrants to other facilities before dismantling the camp.

The detention centre, built on an abandoned airstrip in an alligator-infested swamp, had been championed by Mr Trump as the “East Coast” version of Alcatraz and a key part of his mass deportation policy. Environmental groups, however, argued it posed a grave threat to the fragile ecosystem.

Judge Williams, an appointee of Barack Obama, found the project violated federal, state and local environmental laws. Her order requires the removal of “all generators, gas, sewage, and other waste and waste receptacles that were installed to support this project”, as well as fencing and lighting installed to support the camp.

Florida, which partnered with the federal government on the project, immediately appealed.

“The deportations will continue until morale improves,” said Alex Lanfranconi, spokesman for governor Ron DeSantis.