Judge blocks transfers to 'Alligator Alcatraz,' effectively winding down operations
A federal judge is ordering the Trump administration and the state of Florida to effectively wind down operations at the controversial immigrant detention center in the Everglades known as "Alligator Alcatraz" over environmental concerns.
In an 82-page ruling Thursday evening, U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams granted a preliminary injunction that prohibits the government from transferring any additional detainees to the site or performing any more construction work.
Within 60 days, the judge ordered the Trump administration to remove temporary fencing, industrial lighting, generators, sewage and waste receptacles from the site.
A coalition of environmental groups and a Native American Tribe sued over the site, arguing that the government bypassed necessary environmental reviews before constructing the sprawling facility. The judge agreed with the plaintiffs that Florida officials and the Trump administration violated the National Environmental Policy Act, risking irreparable harm to the sensitive environment of the Everglades.
"Plaintiffs have provided extensive evidence supporting their claims of significant ongoing and likely future environmental harms from the project," the judge wrote.
Williams had issued a temporary restraining order two weeks ago blocking additional construction at the site.
The preliminary injunction marks one of the most high-profile uses of environmental law to challenge the Trump administration's policies.
"Every Florida governor, every Florida senator, and countless local and national political figures, including presidents, have publicly pledged their unequivocal support for the restoration, conservation, and protection of the Everglades. This Order does nothing more than uphold the basic requirements of legislation designed to fulfill those promises," the judge wrote.
Florida officials are already signaling plans to appeal today's decision to the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, filing a notice of appeal in Florida federal court.
The environmental groups that filed the lawsuit celebrated the decision as a "landmark victory for the Everglades."
"This brutal detention center was burning a hole in the fabric of life that supports our most iconic wetland and a whole host of endangered species, from majestic Florida panthers to wizened wood storks. The judge's order came just in time to stop it all from unraveling," said Eve Samples, executive director of Friends of the Everglades.
There were two major lawsuits challenging the use of the facility -- one based on the limited legal access to the facility and another based on environmental concerns. Earlier this week, a federal judge dismissed part of the lawsuit related to legal access because the Department of Justice designated a nearby immigration court for the facility.
