A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction stopping further expansion and ordering the winding down of an immigration detention center located in the Florida Everglades, known as "Alligator Alcatraz," citing environmental concerns. The injunction formalized a temporary halt previously ordered and bars bringing new detainees onto the property beyond those already held. The judge expects the facility population to decline within 60 days through transfers and requires removal of fencing, lighting and generators once reductions occur. Repairs solely for safety or environmental mitigation remain permitted. Florida filed a notice of appeal following the ruling.
A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction Thursday halting further expansion and ordering the winding down of an immigration detention center built in the middle of the Florida Everglades and dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz" that advocates said violated environmental laws. U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams' injunction formalized a temporary halt she had ordered two weeks ago as witnesses continued to testify in a multiday hearing to determine whether construction should end until the ultimate resolution of the case.
The judge said she expected the population of the facility to decline within 60 days through the transferring of the detainees to other facilities, and once that happened, fencing, lighting and generators should be removed. She wrote the state and federal defendants can't bring anyone other than those who are already being detained at the facility onto the property. The order does not prohibit modification or repairs to existing facilities,
The state of Florida filed a notice of appeal Thursday night, shortly after the ruling was issued. "The deportations will continue until morale improves," DeSantis spokesman Alex Lanfranconi said in response to the judge's ruling. The judge said state officials never sufficiently explained why the facility needed to be in the middle of the Florida Everglades. "What is apparent, however, is that in their haste to construct the detention camp, the State did not consider alternative locations," Williams said.
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