A federal judge on Thursday ruled that immigrant detainees can no longer be sent to a controversial detention centre in the Florida Everglades. The facility, nicknamed Alligator Alcatraz, must also be partly dismantled. The judge gave officials 60 days to move out current detainees and start removing fencing, lights, generators and other equipment. Additionally, no new construction will be allowed at the site, according to a report by New York Times.
This is a big legal setback for the country’s first state-run detention centre for federal immigration detainees. The centre has already faced lawsuits and complaints about unsafe conditions. The state immediately said it would appeal the decision.
Environmental law was ignored, Judge says
Judge Kathleen M. Williams of the Federal District Court in Miami found that the government violated a law requiring an environmental review before large federal construction projects. Environmental groups and the Miccosukee Tribe, who live in the area, had filed the lawsuit. The centre sits on protected Everglades land, raising risks to wetlands, endangered species, and local communities that rely on the Everglades for water.
“The project creates irreparable harm in the form of habitat loss and increased mortality to endangered species in the area,” Judge Williams wrote.
The ruling is not final, as the case will continue. The state is likely to ask for a delay while it appeals. Still, the decision is seen as a major win for environmentalists who have long fought to protect the Everglades.
Dispute over Federal vs State role
The Trump administration argued that because Florida runs the centre, federal environmental laws should not apply. But Judge Williams disagreed, saying immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility and that the facility was funded and directed by the federal government, the report mentioned.
“If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, and looks like a duck, then it’s a duck,” she wrote, stressing that the detention center clearly falls under federal law.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has made immigration enforcement a top issue. His administration has already planned another detention center at a former state prison near Jacksonville. Even before the ruling, DeSantis admitted he expected the judge to rule against him.
“It’s pretty clear we’re in front of a judge who is not going to give us a fair shake on this,” he said earlier this week.
Enforcement important, but location wrong: Judge
In her 82-page ruling, Judge Williams said she recognised the government’s need to enforce immigration laws. But she found no strong reason why the detention centre had to be built in the Everglades, noting that officials failed to consider other locations.
Friends of the Everglades, one of the groups that sued, compared the ruling to a major win decades ago, when activists blocked a jetport project on the same land.
“This is a landmark victory for the Everglades,” said Eve Samples, the group’s director. “It shows that environmental laws must be respected, and there are consequences for ignoring them.”