A federal judge has ordered a halt on any new construction at migrant detention facility Alligator Alcatraz over environmental concerns, but the facility will be able to continue to operate as it currently exists.
U.S. District Judge Kathleen M. Williams, appointed by former President Barack Obama, issued the ruling on Thursday, which makes clear that no new construction should be added to the facility for the next two weeks over concerns that any additions will harm the surrounding environment. It should be noted that the facility in the Florida Everglades is not necessarily new, as officials transformed the existing Miami-Dade Collier Training Facility — which has a convenient runway for easy deportations — into an area to house, process, and deport criminal illegal aliens.
The facility, which has about 158,000 square feet of housing — as well as air conditioning, a 24/7 medical facility and pharmacy, legal services, clergy, and more — has housed some of the worst of the worst migrants, including a Cuban migrant arrested for slitting the throat of an elderly woman in Key Largo, Florida.
According to NBC News, “Williams later clarified that this ruling halts activities including ‘at the very least, filling, paving, installation of additional infrastructure’ and also said no additional lighting fixtures should be added.”
The decision came after Williams heard arguments from expert witnesses theorizing that newly created pavement in the area would have consequences on America’s largest wetlands. The airstrip housing the detention center is surrounded by the federally protected Big Cypress National Preserve, a fragile ecosystem home to endangered species like the Florida bonneted bat and the Florida panther.
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The hearing involves just one of several lawsuits that have been filed against “Alligator Alcatraz.” Friends of the Everglades, the Center for Biological Diversity and the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida argue that the state and federal government failed to follow federal environmental law when it quickly built a tented detention facility at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport.
The judge reportedly added that “evidence is sufficient to support the plaintiffs’ claims.” However, Florida’s Emergency Management Division heading up the facility — under the leadership of Director Kevin Guthrie — has pushed back.
“Can I stand here and say not one feature of this site will change in any iota? How could I even say that?” Guthrie’s lawyer Jesse Panuccio stated.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said last week that at least 600 detainees have been deported from the facility. Florida is also looking to turn Camp Blanding in the north of the state into a second migrant detention facility as Alligator Alcatraz continues to grow.
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