'Alligator Alcatraz' immigration facility will have no detainees in the next few days, Florida official says
The controversial immigration facility in the Florida Everglades known as "Alligator Alcatraz" will soon have no detainees in it, according to an email from a state official obtained by ABC News.
The email was sent by Kevin Guthrie, the head of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, to the interfaith community.
"We are probably going to be down to 0 individuals within a few days," Guthrie wrote.
The detention center was the subject of lawsuits, one of which halted new detainees from being transported to the facility.
Late Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams denied a request by the Trump administration and Florida state officials to halt her order last week to effectively wind down operations at the facility. The officials had asked for a stay of her order while they appeal the decision. But in a ruling Wednesday night, Williams said they had failed to provide new information and reiterated arguments they had already made during the preliminary injunction hearing.
In declarations filed in court, officials argued the facility was necessary because other detention centers in the state are overcrowded. They also argued that it would cost millions of dollars to wind down operations. The judge was not swayed.
"Again, as noted in the Order, Defendants constructed the facility in eight days and have repeatedly emphasized that the facility was designed and constructed to be temporary," she wrote.
An appeals court has yet to rule on the matter. State officials are seeking to revoke Williams' order, which also barred new detainees from being transferred there.
President Donald Trump visited the facility as have top Homeland Security brass, who testified in court it was expected to cost about $400 million.
The South Florida Interfaith Community wrote to the FDEM about allowing access to faith services at the facility in recent days.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis recently announced that his administration is opening a new immigration detention facility in the state dubbed "Deportation Depot."
