Photos by B. Scott McLendon
Audio By Carbonatix
Fifty-two days after Florida opened the controversial Alligator Alcatraz detention site in the middle of the Everglades, a federal judge has ordered the state to begin dismantling it over environmental concerns.
Late Thursday night, U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams issued an 82-page ruling that prohibits the state from admitting new detainees to the site and requires officials to begin tearing down parts of the hastily constructed tent city.
The decision marks a major blow for Gov. Ron DeSantis and President Donald Trump, who touted the project as a model for other states.
The ruling came in response to a federal lawsuit filed by Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity, who challenged federal, state, and Miami-Dade County officials ahead of Alligator Alcatraz’s opening, arguing the project skipped federally required environmental review and denied the public a chance to weigh in.
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“Here, there weren’t ‘deficiencies’ in the agency’s process,” Williams said in her ruling (attached at the bottom of this story). “There was no process.”
President Donald Trump tours the immigration detention center known as Alligator Alcatraz.
Photo by Daniel Torok via Flickr/theWhiteHouse
Here’s what to know about the ruling:
The Facility Can Remain Open for Now
Williams ruled that while the site can temporarily remain operational, the state cannot expand it or bring new detainees there.
Williams’ ruling prohibits state officials from bringing new detainees to the site. While the detention camp held roughly 1,400 detainees at the end of July, that number has since reportedly fallen below 400. This comes as the state announces plans to open another immigration detention center in north Florida.
The judge said that, as detainees are transferred elsewhere, she expects the facility’s population to decrease further as detainees are transferred elsewhere. Once that happens, fencing, lighting, and generators must be removed.
Williams pointed to expert testimony that repurposing the site created “a myriad of risks” for the Everglades, including runoff and wastewater discharge. She noted testimony indicating the new lighting alone had shrunk the endangered Florida panther’s habitat by 2,000 acres. The state filed a notice of appeal shortly after the ruling was issued Thursday night.
No New Detainees May Be Brought There
Lighting, Fencing, and Generators Must Go within 60 Days
Judge Cites Harm to Everglades
Florida Fights Back
