A federal judge on Thursday ordered a temporary pause on all construction at “Alligator Alcatraz” in Florida as a lawsuit against the facility continues.
U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams, appointed to the bench by the Obama administration in 2011, issued a temporary restraining order against any further construction of the migrant detention center while debate over whether it violates environmental laws plays out, according to multiple news outlets. However, the temporary restraining order, which will last 14 days, does not affect the detainees who are currently held in the facility.
Williams’ order determined Immigration and Customs (ICE) and the Florida Division of Emergency Management likely violated the National Environmental Policy by not undergoing an environmental review before opening the facility. The judge also added that she would issue a written order later in the day.
“I think that evidence is sufficient to support the plaintiffs’ claims,” the Obama-appointed judge stated Thursday, noting that the plaintiffs had introduced evidence of “ongoing environmental harms,” according to Politico.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier first proposed the idea of Alligator Alcatraz earlier in June, suggesting that the location would be perfect because migrant detainees would have virtually nowhere to escape. The project turned a virtually abandoned airfield into a massive detention center, assisting the Trump administration as it continues with its goal of unprecedented immigration enforcement.
The Trump administration promptly approved the proposal by Uthmeier to build the migrant detention center in the Everglades, dubbing it “Alligator Alcatraz.” However, just after the federal government announced it would help fund the endeavor, major environmental groups quickly announced a lawsuit against it.
The Center for Biological Diversity and Friends of the Everglades filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in June to halt the implementation of the “reckless plan,” according to a press release from the organizations.
A massive region of flooded grassland in southern Florida, the Everglades is around 1.5 million acres and estimated to hold over 200,000 alligators — making escape by foot an incredibly dangerous endeavor. The project was expected to cost around $450 million a year and feature 5,000 beds to house illegal migrants and other foreign nationals under federal immigration detention.
The Trump administration has doubled down on state cooperation for more migrant detention space.
The Indiana Department of Corrections is currently working with ICE to expand detention space by 1,000 beds, according to the Department of Homeland Security. The upcoming project — dubbed the “Speedway Slammer” — will be located at the Miami Correctional Center in Bunker Hill, Indiana.
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