Florida: District Judge orders temporary suspension of construction of Alligator Alcatraz detention facility
However, the judge clarified that this measure does not affect the center's operations related to immigration enforcement policies.
Alligator Alcatraz in a file image.
A Florida judge ordered a temporary suspension of construction of the controversial illegal immigrant detention center known as "Alligator Alcatraz," located in the Everglades, following a lawsuit alleging violations of environmental laws.
The decision, issued Thursday by District Judge Kathleen M. Williams in federal court in Miami, and reported by NBC News halts work for 14 days from the date of the ruling, while the court evaluates charges brought by environmental groups.
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The injunction prohibits activities such as backfilling, paving and installation of additional infrastructure, including new lighting fixtures. However, the judge clarified that this action does not affect the center's operations related to immigration enforcement policies. "The plaintiffs are not asking this court nor would this court enter an order that would stop immigration efforts," Williams stated.
The lawsuit, filed in June by environmental organizations such as Friends of the Everglades, contends that construction of the center on an airstrip in the Big Cypress National Preserve in Ochopee was carried out without the ecological reviews required by the National Environmental Policy Act.
They further allege that there was no public notification or consultation and that other statutes, such as the Endangered Species Act, were breached, given that the Everglades is a unique ecosystem that is home to endangered species.
During the hearing, which spanned two days, Judge Williams expressed frustration with legal representatives for the state of Florida and the Administration of President Donald Trump for their reluctance to pause construction. “I don’t want to find out when I wake up on Monday that the site has been altered when this is going on, that should not be a concern,” she stated. She further warned that any new construction during the judicial recess could result in more hearings.
The court will take up the case again after the recess, and the final ruling could set a precedent for future projects in environmentally sensitive areas.
Alligator Alcatraz
According to a sign at the site, the facility was erected in just eight days and is equipped with more than 200 security cameras and 8,500 meters of barbed wire. In addition, it is surrounded by 16 kilometers of marshland, which reinforces its isolation.
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