A federal judge in Miami has temporarily halted construction at the controversial immigration detention facility deep in the Florida Everglades, known by locals as “Alligator Alcatraz.”
On August 7, U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams ordered a 14-day stop on further expansion of the facility after environmental groups and the Miccosukee Tribe argued the project violates federal environmental laws.
The ruling came just days after another Miami federal judge, Rodolfo Ruiz, issued a split decision in a related lawsuit filed by civil rights attorneys. That case focused on whether detainees at the site have confidential access to their lawyers and proper hearings in immigration court. Ruiz dismissed part of the suit, noting that hearings are now being shifted to the Krome North Processing Center near Miami, but he also ruled that jurisdiction belongs in Florida’s middle district, where the detention center sits.
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The sprawling detention site, built on an isolated airstrip in Collier County, has sparked fierce debate. Civil rights groups say detainees are cut off from fair legal access, while environmental advocates warn of severe damage to the fragile Everglades ecosystem.
The Miccosukee Tribe, whose ancestral lands border the area, has also demanded construction be halted until a full environmental review is completed.
The Biden administration (and previously the Trump administration) have both defended the facility as necessary for immigration enforcement, but opposition continues to grow.
With dueling lawsuits now moving through the courts, the future of the detention center remains uncertain. For now, the bulldozers are silent.
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